Late Thomasian UN volunteer in Haiti feted

THE UNBEARABLE days of waiting finally ended for his family. But nothing else could ease his family’s grief than the thought of losing a son and a brother in a noble mission for peace.

Thomasian and United Nations (UN) staff Jerome Yap was among the Filipinos who died in the magnitude-seven earthquake that hit Haiti last January 12.

He was found lifeless under the ruins of the collapsed Christopher Hotel , which served as the headquarters of the UN Stabilization

Mission in Haiti

The University gave the 43-year-old Yap a posthumous award last January 27 during the St. Thomas Aquinas Mass, in recognition of his service “characterized by competence, compassion and commitment.”

His mother, former Pampanga provincial board member Dr. Leticia Yap, received the medal of excellence and certificate of recognition for his son.

“The family of Jerome Yap is extremely honored and awed with this award,” Leticia said in her acceptance speech. “We have been thinking of the Royal and Pontifical University of Santo Tomas as something way above us but now, we realize that the University of Santo Tomas is a family and it takes care of all its members.”

An advertising graduate in 1987, Jerome worked with the UN in restoring peace in troubled areas around the world. He started as a messenger in the UN headquarters in New York, and gradually worked his way up as an executive assistant to Luis Carlo da Costa, the deputy representative of the UN Secretary General. His gift of pitch also led him to join the organization’s choir.

It was during his two decades of service in the UN that he discovered his love for traveling. Prior to his Haiti station, Yap had been assigned in peacekeeping missions in South Africa, Kosovo, and Liberia.

But despite his demanding schedule, the UN staffer managed to find time to be with his family once in a while. Just this Christmas, Jerome was in San Fernando, Pampanga to spend the holidays with his family.

“I did not notice anything unusual,” Leticia said. “We had a grand time with him and it seemed it was his way of saying goodbye to us, and giving us happy and good memories of his life.”

He flew back to New York for a connecting flight to Haiti, where he arrived a day before the earthquake hit.

The remains of Jerome arrived in the country last February 2, and were given a hero’s welcome, together with the bodies of other Filipino peacekeepers who died in the tragedy.

Jerome’s remains were brought to his hometown of Pampanga, where he was cremated after four days of internment.

“Sometimes [Jerome] knows I want to go to a place and I cannot afford it, [so] he would [just] send me a ticket and [would spend for] the hotel accommodation,” Leticia recalled.