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Four siblings who were orphaned by Covid-19 plan to take their father’s ashes back to their native Philippines, once air travel restrictions allowed.
iguel Plancga (55) died in May leaving his children orphans. Her mother Gilceria passed away from cancer six years ago.
He worked night shifts at the Birdseye Ireland plant in Naas, Co Kildare, and had moved to Ireland from the Philippines 20 years ago in search of a better life.
“We are still dealing with the impact of all this,” her 21-year-old daughter, Mikee, told Independent.ie this week.
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Family tragedy: Mikee Plangca with a photo of her loving father with brothers Michael, John and Chekie and their Aunt Fely. Photo: Frank McGrath
“We are fine. Dad had been sick for a week at the house, with a cough and what he thought was a cold and then he ended up in the ICU. He spent almost six weeks there before he died.”
Coping
Along with his brothers Michael (19), John (14) and Chekie (12), Mikee is left without living parents.
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‘Overwhelmed’: Mikee Plangca with a photograph of his late father Miguel
Since the death of their father, the brothers have been living with their aunt Fely, who followed in their brother’s footsteps and moved to Ireland in 2009.
Later she married an Irishman and settled in Naas, where she works as a nanny.
“We have been trying to cope as best we can,” Mikee said.
“We had our father cremated in the hope that we could take him to the Philippines once we can fly again and let him rest next to our mother. It is important that part of the process is finished.
“We still want to live our lives in Ireland and complete our education here as our father wanted.”
A GoFundMe page created to support Mikee and his siblings after their father’s death has raised close to 300,000 euros.
The money will be held in trust for the children until it is needed.
“In the meantime, we hope to install a small modular home next to our aunt’s house,” said Mikee.
“Her husband, my uncle, has space on the site and that’s where we want to be. She (Fely) is in the process of applying for guardianship of my younger siblings, so that keeps us busy.”
“We have had a great deal of support, with the donations and good wishes of so many and that has shown us the generosity of the Irish people.
“We lost our father and the memories of that are very painful, but this is where our home is.”
Mr. Plangca became ill with a cough and fever in March. Later he was admitted to the hospital where he spent 41 days in the ICU.
Last year, Birdseye bought the Green Isle pizza making plant in Naas, where Miguel worked.
Colleagues at the plant, where Mr. Plangca worked night shifts on the packaging line, remember him as a kind and gentle colleague.
When he fell ill in March, the local Filipino community stepped in to care for his young family.
Plangca became an Irish citizen in 2015 and his children resided in Ireland as his dependents.
“We want to stay here in Ireland because it is our home now, but we don’t know what will happen,” Mikee said.
“It is what we want, especially for my brother Michael, who has special needs. We have friends here and we are part of a community.”
Herald
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