SINGAPORE: It was a somber New Year’s Eve afternoon on Tuesday (Dec 31) as friends and family gathered inside a small memorial hall in Geylang Bahru to remember Abigail Danao Leste.
Ms Leste, 41, a domestic worker in Singapore, was one of the two victims who died in a car crash at Lucky Plaza on Sunday.
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Ms Abigail Danao Leste’s cousin being comforted by a close friend. (Photo: Jeremy Long)
Standing in front of her casket, 13 friends, family members and staff from the Centre for Domestic Employees (CDE) teared as the priest conducted her last rites.
Mr Shamsul Kamar, the executive director of CDE, who came to pay his respects to Ms Leste, said that they were trying to help Ms Leste’s daughter come to Singapore and she should be here “within the next few days”. She also has a son.
Ms Leste’s employers have given their blessings to hold this wake for her, he said.
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A photo of Ms Abigail Danao Leste at the wake. (Photo: Try Sutrisno Foo)
Friends and family attend the wake of Ms Abigail Danao Leste, who died in the Lucky Plaza accident. (Photo: Jeremy Long)
Mr Kamar said that the process of helping the victims has “not been as fluid as we want it to be” given the difficulty of communicating with members of Ms Leste’s family in the Philippines, and her employers who are currently abroad.
Ms Leste’s cousin, a foreign domestic worker in Singapore, organised the wake with the help of CDE. She declined to speak to the media.
A person lays down flowers on a casket at the wake. (Photo: Jeremy Long)
She is working with CDE to decide on their next steps after the wake.
The memorial hall at Direct Funeral Services, 89 Geylang Bahru, has been reserved till Jan 2.
Members of the public who would like to pay their respects can attend a public viewing on Wednesday from 10am to 2pm.
