DAGAMI, Leyte- After more than 60 years, Korean War veteran Sofio Lobrigo received a gift: repair of his house damaged by supertyphoon Yolanda.
And the repair of his house was initiated by young Korean soldiers who were not even born when the now 85 year old war veteran helped defend their country.
The house of Lobrigo, located at Barangay District 9, was severely damaged when supertyphoon Yolanda hit the town more than three months ago.
At a cost of about P800,000, Lobrigo’s house was renovated by the Korean soldiers who are here in Leyte to help victims of Yolanda.
According to Lobrigo, he saw a group of Korean soldiers a day after the typhoon in front of the town Church and approached them without hesitation and informed them that he was in their country during the Korean war 63 years ago.
“After 63 years after I fought in Korea, never in my wildest dream that this will happen,” the teary-eyed Lobrigo said.
He was just 22 years old when he went to Korea as part of the Philippines’ troops and helped defend the said country from invasion from soldiers of North Korea.
The Koreans took his picture and return after five days with construction materials and right there and then, started the repair of his house, he added.
The repair work was over in just two weeks. The soldiers repaired the roofing, the floor, the bedrooms, and even the extension of the house and the kitchen including the electrical wirings.
And they also painted the house.
They also built an office for Lobrigo as he is the district commander of the Veterans Federation in the Philippines in Leyte’s second district.
“I am very thankful to the government of Korea and at the same time to all the officers and enlisted men who made it possible that my home looks like this now” said an obviously happy Lobrigo.
The Korean forces also brought that day two boxes of noodles and two boxes of cookies and bottled water for Lobrigo.
The family of Lobrigo, in return and as sign of their gratitude, prepared native foods and delicacies such as moron, binagol and the roasted pig or lechon, for the Koreans and the Filipino soldiers who also joined in the work. (LIZBETH ANN ABELLA)
