THE remains of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) Henry John Acorda, hailed as a hero for rescuing two women being harassed at a street in Slovakia but was killed defending them, was flown in on Tuesday morning to Manila, in a homecoming marked by tributes and unspeakable grief from both his relatives and admiring strangers.
The Slovak A319 plane chartered by the Slovak government touched down at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 10:50 am, bearing Acorda’s remains and his mother Stella and two siblings.
On hand to welcome the remains were Foreign Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano, close relatives of the deceased, officials from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the Manila International Airport Authority.
Acorda died in a hospital on May 31, 2018, from serious injuries sustained while trying to protect two people—a Filipina and a Polish woman being harassed by a Slovak national.
The plane parked at the Ages Hangar, Old Balagbag terminal.
Speaking in a mixture of Filipino and English, Cayetano wondered aloud “how a young man can die in an instant and vanish from this world” from such a senseless death.
“His heroism makes us proud to be a Filipino because we are willing to stake our lives to protect others even on distant shores.”
Cayetano added that if his plan to set up an OFW center in Taguig becomes reality, he would name it after Henry Acorda. “I personally will recommend naming the center
after him because he is someone that we should emulate.”
Acorda’s death was followed by a rally in Bratislava, the capital, by hundreds of Slovakians and other people outraged by his death in the hands of a suspected “neo-Nazi,” with calls for an end to racism.
The ralliers also paid tribute to Acorda, a finance analyst who had been working in Slovakia for one year. He used to be assigned in Malaysia, according to his eldest brother Edwin.
Cayetano said the expenses to bring home the body of Acorda will be shared by the Slovak and the Philippine government. It was not made clear whether financial assistance by the Slovaks was given to Acorda’s family.
From the airport, the casket was taken to the Heritage Park in Taguig City, where Acorda will be laid to rest on Saturday. His family resides in Taguig.
Cayetano relayed the Slovakian government’s assurance to Acorda’s family that justice will be serve.
The suspect is now in the Slovak government’s custody, and was described in news reports as a man believed to be a neo-Nazi. Acorda, 36, was assaulted in the heart of the capital on May 26 by 28-year-old Juraj H., whose surname has been withheld pending trial.
CCTV footage made available to the media showed that Juraj H. hit Acorda, who then fell and became unconscious. The attacker continued to kick Acorda in the head and used a mobile phone to photograph him even as he lay unconscious on the street.
The OFW died in hospital five days later from injuries he sustained in the attack.
Organizers of the protest held after Acorda’s death told the local Slovak newspaper that around 3,000 protesters, mostly in their 20s, turned out for the memorial rally that began with a violinist playing a mournful tune.
Acorda’s mother Stella on Tuesday said she had forgiven the men who participated in the killing of her son, but not the one who killed him. “I will never forgive him,” she said briefly at the tarmac where the Slovak airplane was parked nearby.
Image credits: Recto Mercene