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For hours Gina Dulay waited for a call from her three children to hear about their day and how their new lives were in New Zealand.
When the phone eventually rang at her home in the Philippines it was their father calling with devastating news. Two of their children were dead, and a third was in critical condition after a crash in Hororota.
Emergency services were called to the double-fatal crash on Rakaia Terrace Rd at 2.46pm on Saturday.
Khatricia Dulay, 19, and Ian Dulay, 17, died following the collision. Their oldest sister, 22, was critically injured as was their father’s partner. Their father, Ghomer Dulay, suffered moderate injuries.
Gina Dulay spoke to the Herald from the Philippines, with a relative helping to translate. Behind her was a photo of Khatricia and a candle.
From left: Ghomer Dulay, Khatricia Dulay, Christine Joy Dulay and Ian Dulay
“They want to have a better life, so they live in New Zealand.”
The decision to let them leave was “very hard”, she said. The children were also sad to be leaving their mother but “excited” for what lay ahead. Their father, who flew to the Philippines to pick them up, had lived in New Zealand since 2015.
She last spoke to her children a day before the crash. They were “very happy” with their new lives, and had spent some of their day at the mall.
From left, Ian Dulay, 17, and Khatricia Dulay, 19, were killed in a crash near Rakaia 05 August 2023
The children had routinely called her since they arrived to provide updates and would also send her photos of their travels.
On Saturday, she was waiting for another call, but none came.
She did not know about the crash until their father called.
“She cannot think anything. She’s in deep pain, she’s in shock,” the relative said.
Gina Dulay was unable to accept what had happened until she could see her children herself.
What had happened was “devastating”, the relative said.
“She’s so very, very sad when she heard the news and also said that she can’t live without her children.”
Her children were “so kind, loveable, jolly and generous”.
A Givealittle page has been made for the Dulay family to help get the children home.
“Please help us bring my children to the Philippines so that I can see them,” Gina Dulay said.
Ghomer Dulay told the Herald the family’s morning had been full of “laughing and joking” and cooking together, enjoying each other’s company after eight years living apart.
About 1.30pm they left their home in Christchurch to head to Mt Hutt.
“They wanted to see the snow. It’s their first time here and ... I want to make them happy.”
Just over an hour after they left home, Ghomer Dulay was driving along Rakaia Terrace Rd when he saw what he thought was a rabbit running across the road.
From left, Khatricia Dulay and her aunt Jinena Tats-Quin Abellera.
“That’s why I tried to brake and now sliding the car and zig-zag,” he said.
He then pulled out his partner and eldest child from the wreckage. He was unable to get his other two children out.
Dulay said he was crying and unsure what to do.
It was not until later that evening that police informed him two of his children were dead. His oldest child was critically injured as was his partner.
“It’s so sad when I got that news, I was crying,” he said.
“I have two kids gone.”
On Sunday he said he had a sore head and face but was physically “OK”. Dulay is staying at the hospital to be at his partner and daughter’s sides.
He said he wanted to tell his children he was “sorry” for what happened.
“I don’t want this to happen … they’re my blood,” he said.
His son was studying at the time. His daughters and his partner are all caregivers.
“Their dreams are nothing now, and also my dreams to give them a big future here.
“It’s gone.
“I want them to be happy, that’s why all their life I just follow them. ‘Pa, let’s go there, I want to see the snow, Pa let’s go there, I want to visit this’.”
His focus was to bring his children back to the Philippines to their mother.
The children’s aunt, Jinena Tats-Quin Abellera, told the Herald the family was “devastated”.
She said Dulay called one of his siblings to inform them of the crash, and the rest of the family was then told.
The Givealittle page was created by Petronila Tangal, who was a neighbour of Dulay’s partner in the Philippines and now lives in Christchurch.
She said the children were “very excited” to be living in New Zealand and spending time with their father. She had visited Dulay in the hospital and said he was “crying a lot”.
Hororata chief fire officer Bruce Sayer attended the crash. He said the stretch of road went from a tar road to a shingle road. The brigade had attended about nine crashes at the same spot, but Saturday’s was the first fatal.
The road was mainly used by dairy workers and farmers, he said.
“It’s probably one of the worst I think our brigade has attended.
“We’ve had fatals before, but a double fatal is way out of the norm for us in a little town like this.”
He said it appeared the car had lost control and hit a tree.
“The force of the vehicle striking the tree had sort of strewn debris from the vehicle across quite a large area and the vehicle was sort of still in an upside-down position.”
Sayer said no matter how many crashes firefighters attended it impacted those that responded.
“But I think from the brigade point of view everyone realises that if we weren’t there no one would be, the waiting time would be a long time before someone came.
“So it’s sort of bittersweet I suppose because at least you’re there when people need you the most and that’s obviously in a situation like that I think it was nice having people arrive really quickly for the driver and for the patients as well.”
He said Fire and Emergency New Zealand had great “wraparound support”, to go alongside the support from within the brigade.
Sam Sherwood is a Christchurch-based reporter. He is a senior journalist who joined the Herald in 2022, and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.
