I was in my bathroom when Edmund started calling. “Tart! tart! Yung anak ni Bobby”. Parang urgent, although I was about to take a bath, I opened the door. Yes dear people of the world, I lock the door when I am going to shower at baka masilipan ako ni Mister Yee.
When I opened the door, he said “tart, nag text si Larry, yung anak ni Bobby…. (referring to Bobby’s second daughter Patricia, 30)
I was expecting to hear Edmund say buntis daw.
Omb—–“O”
ECY—–“Namatay!”
Yung “O” ko naging Oh my God!
Omb—–“Oh my God, tart, Oh my God”.
ECY—–“Naaksidente sa may The Grove, patay”.
Architect Larry Patnongon is Edmund’s kumpare and also a close friend of Bobby Leung. Here’s his story:
Larry and a few friends were drinking at the house of Bobby. At around 10 pm, Bobby called his daughter Patricia to help them set up the karaoke. She did. Little did the parents know that she went out after helping her dad operate the karaoke. Hindi daw nagsabi na lalabas.
They all went to bed. They didn’t know that Patricia was out. At 5 o’clock in the morning, Madet, the mom, received a call from Medical City, yun na nga.
Dyos ko, It’s so difficult to kwento tragic moments like that. How does one say to a mother that her daughter was brought to the hospital dead on arrival at 2 am. Hwag na nating isipin yung moment na yun, kawawa naman si Madet.
Bobby went to the fly over where the accident happened. According to the MMDA officers on duty that morning, they heard a very loud sound. When they ran out to check, they saw a woman sprawled inside her car. They checked her neck for the pulse, wala na daw. They called the rescue, which arrived after 15 minutes. Patricia was brought to the Medical City in Ortigas Avenue which was the closest hospital to the scene of the accident. She was dead on arrival.
She came from The Fort where she had a drink or two with her friends. She was driving home via C5. The fly over to QC is beside the side road to the Grove, condominiums. On her ascent, that’s when it happened.
Theories:
1. She didn’t notice the protruding pavement.
2. It was raining that night in fact there was a typhoon.
3. Road was slippery.
Edmund went to the wake in Heritage that Friday night. I went with him on Sunday, October 4. Nasa kotse pa lang kami parang maiiyak na ako, parang I couldn’t bear seeing the faces of Bobby and Madet. Parang ang lungkot lungkot. Puro parang.
Bobby said he didn’t know her daughter had so many friends. One even flew from New York to pay her last respects. Siguro classmate from elementary pa in Assumption. Bobby and Madet has four kids, three girls and one boy. Patricia is Bobby’s favorite according to Edmund.
We attended the mass. Siguro the priest is a family friend kasi he said he was in Cebu when he received the news.
Right after the mass, Edmund went out to have coffee. I followed. Meron palang buffet by Via Mare. I ate lugaw while Edmund had coffee and tinapay.
