I have recently seen The Flor Contemplacion Story on Youtube. The film starring the legendary Nora Aunor tells the story of Flor Contemplacion, a Filipina domestic helper who was hanged in Singapore for murdering another Filipina and a 4-year-old boy.
The film piqued my curiosity about the family of Flor Contemplacion. I wonder what have become of them 18 years after her execution. I initially thought that Flor's four children as well as her husband were living comfortable lives. After all, millons of financial donation from various sectors poured into their pockets in the aftermath of her death. But I was wrong. Flor Contemplacion's sacrifices had all gone to waste. Her desire to create a better life for her loved ones was never realized. It will remain an elusive dream.
Flor's eldest son Sandrex has died in prison while serving a life sentence for drug pushing. Flor's only daughter Russel has dealt a series of unfortunate events--she has separated from her husband, her eldest child died of cerebral palsy, and she's struggling to raise her three kids alone. Flor's twins Joel and Junjun are languishing at the National Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City after they were sentenced to life imprisonment for drug peddling. Flor's husband Efren and his live-in partner are jailed for drug-related charges.
The tragedy of Flor Contemplacion continues to wreak havoc on the very same people she loved dearly. But why has life been so cruel to the Contemplacions? This question keeps bugging me that I feel obligated to find the root cause of their seemingly endless tribulation. I've got a strange feeling that some unseen forces had been lurking around, waiting to be unraveled. I am then reminded of this particular scene in the movie where Flor reacted to her execution: "Kapag pinatay nyo ako, hindi ko kayo patatahimikin!" Those haunting words reverberate in my head as though confessing that it has been the ultimate cause of all their sufferings and misfortunes. Did Flor Contemplacion's curse boomerang back on her own family?
