JUBAIL, 1 October 2006 — A Filipino electrical engineer who went comatose after a road accident last month in the eastern city of Jubail is showing significant signs of recovery, a Philippine labor official has reported.

Freddie Yoro, who is confined at the Jubail General Hospital, can now open his eyes and partly see the people around him, Labor Attaché Delmer Cruz said.

“He can now respond to questions by blinking his eyes,” said Cruz, adding that the patient even shed tears upon learning that his wife, Teresita, and son Joseph were brought to the Kingdom from Manila by his employer to take care of him while he is recovering.

His sponsor, the General Directorate for Ministry Works (GDMW), is also arranging the visit visa of his daughter Catherine who is working in Dubai, Cruz said.

Yoro, who hails from Biñan town in Laguna province near Manila, and another engineer survived the Aug. 22 accident. Rosendo Andalus, a mechanical engineer from Quezon, is also recovering from his injuries.

Manuel Beluya, a mechanical engineer from Lucena City, and Jaime Subang a civil engineer from Nueva Ecija, both died in that accident. Their remains were repatriated to Manila on Sept. 11.

Andalus said they were on their way to work on the morning of Aug. 22 in Jubail on board a double-cab pick-up and were making a U-turn when another speeding vehicle hit them. “I can’t recall what happened. All I can remember was we were making a U-turn. When I regained consciousness I was already on a hospital bed,” Andalus said.

“I am very thankful to God that I survived. However, I can’t imagine that Jaime and Manuel were already gone. All I can do is cry and pray for them, particularly for the speedy recovery of Freddie,” he said.

Andalus’ left leg was in plaster cast due to tendon lacerations, his body was badly bruised, there were some cuts in his tongue, his teeth were dislocated, and he had multiple stitches at the back of his head.

Just a few days before the accident, Andalus was testing his new videocam and recorded a short footage on his colleagues while at the office. “I don’t know if those shots I did with Manuel and Jaime were simple messages from them I have to bring to their families back home. They were all good to me. I considered them as my parents,” he said.

Andalus is due for vacation on Oct. 5 and is now eager to see his wife and five children. He said he will still be coming back to work to support his growing family.

He has been working in Saudi Arabia for the past 21 years.