Bomb blast kills boy of 3;
Donations pour in
By KIT BAGAIPO

BOMB BLAST VICTIMS. Joshua Sute, 3 (inset) died in a bomb explosion at Perialde home in barangay Magkaya, Buenavista town last Wednesday. Cosme Perialde, grandpa recovering at the Gallares Hospital while Emilia, grandma and Judith, victmis' mother appeal for fund assistance at the studios of dyRD where donations from kindhearted listeners totaled to P50,171. Fotos DANNY REYES/MARK TORREGOSA

Public sympathy to a hapless 3-year old boy casualty of a bomb blast in Buenavista town drew an outpouring of donations from generous and kindhearted listeners of Station dyRD on Thursday. Boholanos from all walks of life came in droves at dyRD giving cash, food and clothes to the family of 3-year old Joshue Suete, who was killed by an improvised bomb Wednesday night. A total of P50,171 was raised during the 5-hour fund-drive that drew a massive response from dyRD listeners who were tuned-in to top-rated programs "Patrol Balita," "Inyaong Alagad," "Pulso" and "Media Patrol." The act of kindness of Boholanos in different circumstances - students, ordinary wage earners - that included janitors, bakers and security guards phoned in their pledges for the victims of the bombing incident in barangay Magkaya, Buenavista that also seriously injured the grandparents of the victim Cosme Perialde, 50 and Emilia Perialde, 48.

It was not just their own gesture of charity that pushed donors to share the little of what they have. Some came out of apparent anguish to the viciousness of the crime.

Around 7:30 Wednesday night, two bonnet wearing men riding a motorcycle purportedly lobbed an improvised bomb at the house of the Perialde couple.

Cosme had to undergo surgery at the GCGRH to fix his broken right arm.

Joshue's mother and a younger brother who were also in the house during the incident were unharmed.

Buenavista police chief Insp. Reyes said they recovered fragments of the suspected improvised bomb as they try to piece together circumstances that led to the incident.

The recovered bomb parts will be examined at the PNP crime laboratory.

SNAPSHOTS

Emilia went to Station dyRD during the early hours of Thursday to ask for donations to take the dead body Joshue back to Buenavista and for the surgical treatment of her husband.

Emilia, accompanied by her daughter and her grandson who survived the bomb blast, was still wearing clothes that bore the bloodstains from the shrapnel injury on her nape.

Interviewed by Patrol Balita anchorman Atoy Cosap, the injured grandmother relayed to listeners that she and husband Cosme just came home from a day's work at their rice field and had just finished eating supper when they heard the loud blast.

Listeners of dyRD were touched by the fate of the family. A string of phone calls from radio listeners started the fund drive.

People on their way to work, students on their way to school and even tricycle drivers took time to drop by dyRD to personally hand in their donations.

A fish vendor who passed by dyRD parted with her P50 to make her contribution to the fundraising.

A group of college students went to the radio station and shelled out a few pesos from their allowance as donations flooded the airlanes.

When Emilia bared that they have not yet eaten breakfast that morning, packed meals were sent to the station.

A house help who was tasked to deliver the cash donation of her employers gave her own contribution to the cause.

As the fund drive was ended at 11 a.m. on that day, more donations kept coming from the towns and city residents.

Joshue was brought back to Buenavista on Friday to be buried while his grandfather Cosme is recuperating from injuries at the GCGRH.