P.7M needed to bring home remains of Filipino couple who drowned in Australia

Tabuk City, Kalinga – Relatives and friends are raising money to help the daughter of a couple who drowned in Estuary South of Perth, Australia bring home her dead parents.

Kate Dulin, a delegated member of New Life Filipino-Australian Community Church (NLFACC), where the couple were members since 2015, launched a fundraising campaign with a goal of raising enough money to repatriate the bodies to the Philippines and cover other expenses.

The repatriation cost, she said, is around AU$20,000, or equivalent to over P741,000.

As of 2 p.m. on Thursday, March 21, AU$4,361 has been raised.

Just two weeks before the tragedy, the couple, Leslie and Jun Ballo, renewed their vows after 24 years of marriage.

As they usually did, the two headed on a fishing expedition in the said area, but they did not make it home.

They did not turn up for work the following day, prompting Leslie’s supervisor to raise the alarm.

The police then searched for the two and found their car at the Herron Point Boat Ramp. No fishing gear was left in the vehicle.

On March 14, the bodies of the victims were discovered lifeless at the Peel Estuary, 30 kilometers south of Mandurah in Perth.

Leslie, 49, from Bangued, Abra, and Jun, 50, from Ilocos, are survived by their 13-year-old daughter, Jancee, who will now be under the care of the couple's friends and relatives.

To donate, click Fundraiser by Kate Dulin: Support Jancee Ballo after the loss of her parents (gofundme.com).

Donations may also be sent through the GCash account of Leslie’s sister, Lea Ortega-Moises – 09505247604.

According to NLFACC's latest update, the victims’ bodies are still at the mortuary and will be released after the autopsy report is forwarded to the coroner or investigator. Funeral arrangements will not be made until then.