Fil-Canadian, daughter killed in Toronto; Pinay attacked in Vallejo; PHL Congen urges vigilance
IN NEW YORK. Philippine Consul General Elmer Cato (standing, second from right) in a file photo joining a rally against hate crimes on Filipinos and Asian, Pacific Islander Americans in New York. He asks Filipinos to continue to be alert and vigilant.
TORONTO/VALLEJO – The Philippine Consulate General in Toronto confirmed the death of a Filipino-Canadian and her daughter in a tragic stabbing in Toronto last week.
In New York City, meanwhile, Philippine Consul General Elmer Cato urged Filipinos to always alert and remain vigilant in the wake new attacks on Filipinos.
Elvie Sig-Od and her 20-year-old daughter Angelica Sig-Od were inside a vehicle when her former husband, Godfrey, stabbed them to death.
In Vallejo, California, a 71-year-old Filipina was injured and hospitalized after being attacked and robbed outside a fast-food restaurant in the city on Sunday.
Reports from Vallejo showed the Filipina, Enelia Perez, was leaving the restaurant when a man grabbed her purse.
Perez tried to resist the robber who persisted and allegedly hit her with a blunt object.
The incident involving Perez added to the list of recent attacks on Filipino-Americans in the US.
Just a day before Perez was attacked, a 74-year-old Filipina was assaulted unprovoked in Midtown Manhattan, New York.
Philippine Consul General in New York Elmer Cato called anew on Filipinos to remain on alert and vigilant on possible hate attacks.
ConGen Cato wrote on Facebook after the incident: “Speechless. Just speechless in the wake of another random attack directed again against a 74-year-old Filipina. While assaults against kababayan such as this are isolated, we cannot help but feel for the victims who are mostly helpless, elderly women.”
“Although incidents like this as well as hate crimes have been more pronounced lately, these have been happening in New York and other parts of the world for the longest time. For some, these are nothing new. For others, these are a cause of concern. That is why kababayan in New York and wherever in the world they may be should be vigilant at all times and take the necessary precautions when outside their homes,” Cato added.
Last week, a 60-year-old Fil-Am man who served in the Philippine Navy died from injuries in an unarmed robbery attack in Baltimore, Maryland, while a Fil-Am photographer was killed in a home invasion that led to a shooting in Everett, Washington.
Godfrey, according to reports, is now in the custody of the Toronto Police and had been charged with two counts of second-degree murder.
“The Consulate will coordinate the repatriation of remains of the mother and daughter who were both Canadian citizens at the time of their deaths,” said Philippine Consul General in Toronto Orontes Castro.
“The Consulate General will also continue to monitor this case accordingly. The Philippine government expresses its sincerest condolences and sympathies to the family,” he added.
Marvin Dolores, the pastor of the church where Elvie attends, has set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for the repatriation of the two who, he said, had no relatives in Ontario.
“I am raising funds for the funeral and sending the body of Elvie and Angelica Sig-od back to the Philippines, who were the victim of murder in North York, Ontario,” the pastor said.
“They do not have relatives here in Ontario to arrange their funeral so, as their Pastor, I decided to ask for your help to raise funds to provide them with a decent funeral and send their bodies to the Philippines,” she said.
