Rosaria Reyes

Dec 2, 2001 - Rosaria Reyes, 42, of the Philippines, was one of 15 people killed in a suicide bombing on an Egged bus No. 16 in Haifa.

The bombing occurred shortly after noon, when a Hamas suicide bomber boarded an Egged No. 16 bus traveling from the Neveh Sha'anan district, paid the driver with a large bill, then blew himself up as the driver asked him to collect his change.

Rosaria Reyes, from the town of Batangas in the Philippines, and had been working as a caregiver in Haifa since March. Whe took the job to pay for a college education for her two children, aged 17 and 19. Reyes' income was her family's only means of support since her husband is ill and unable to work. On the day of the bombing, she had a day off and was on her way to visit a friend.

Reyes' aunt, Amy Arellano, said she had last spoken to her niece on the phone Saturday night. Rosaria had just gotten off work and was making a large batch of egg rolls for her friends to eat in the coming days, Arellano said. "She was a very lovable and cheerful person," said Arellano. "She was like a daughter to me."

Four of Rosaria Reyes' compatriots were injured in the blast. Two of them, Mario Libao and Lily Bassi, were serious condition at a Haifa hospital. Two others, siblings Raul and Maricar Vibas, were recovering.

Rosaria Reyes was buried in the Philippines. Her family will receive a pension from the Israel National Insurance.