Survivor recalls bombing experience in Afghanistan

CEBU CITY - Being one of the 19 survivors during the recent bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan that killed another Filipino United Nations election volunteer Josie Esto, Remedios "Remie" Mondigo, UN Public Outreach electoral officer shares her third and worst experience as part of the UN's peace keeping mission.

Mondigo in a press conference detailed that before their safe house (Bekhtar Guest House in Kabul's Shar-e-Now District) was attacked by the alleged Taliban gunmen, she was about to take a shower to prepare for work when suddenly she heard a huge explosion near their area at around 5.45 in the morning.

"I was immediately disturbed by the explosion because it was so near while after the first explosion gun-fires followed, which made me even more nervous," she said.

Mondigo added that when she and other tenants of the said building learned about the attack, an officer urged them to go and hide in one of the safest places in the area, which is the private house located at the back portion of the vicinity.

"We were there until 10 in the morning, calling our families to pray for us because the situation is really bad," she added.
Mondigo also added that while she was in the private house Esto was calling her, as the latter was still inside her room located at the roof top side of the attacked guest house.

"Josie was really calling for help because she's already experiencing suffocation and the fire is already eating the house," she disclosed.

Esto 40, a native of New Washington, Aklan was an Electoral Outreach and Training Coordinator under the UN Volunteers Program and was a former school teacher who also worked as an electoral officer and civic education officer in the country before serving as a UN volunteer in Liberia, Timor-Leste, and Nepal.

Moreover, after that bombing incident last October 28 that killed five of their co-workers including Josie, Remie said that she is still very willing to go back to Afghanistan to continue her duty since the country will have a parliamentary election next year.

"The Afghans are hospitable and warm people so there was never a problem working with them although I am already expecting a worst election next year," she added.