NEW YORK - Isang transgender na Pinoy at isang Pinay ang natagpuang patay sa magkahiwalay na lugar sa New York City nitong buwan ng Enero.

Natagpuang nakahandusay sa banyo ng iuupahan niyang apartment sa Elmhurst, Queens, New York City nitong ika-17 ng Enero ang isang Pinay na nakilalang si Zeny Braga, 44-anyos.

Patay na ng dalhin ito sa Elmhurst Hospital ng mga rumespondeng paramedic mula sa New York Fire Department.

Nitong ika-19 ng Enero naman nang itawag sa 911 ang pagkakatuklas sa katawan ni Rodolfo Manacap Jr, isang transgender, sa isang hotel sa Manhattan.

Si Manacap ay kilala rin sa Filipino community sa tawag na Olivia Snow.      

Huli siyang nakita ng kanyang mga kaibigan sa Miss Universe beauty pageant sa New Orleans noong ika-14 ng Enero. 

Wala pang opisyal na ulat kung may foul play sa pagkamatay ng dalawang Pinoy.

Sa isang statement mula sa tanggapan ni New York Consul General Senen Mangalile, sinabi nito na nakipag-ugnayan na sila sa mga awtoridad sa New York City kaugnay sa kaso ni Manacap o Olivia Snow. Naimpormahan na rin daw ng Konsulado ang pamilya nito sa Davao City.

"The Philippine Consulate General in New York received with great sadness reports of the death of Rodolfo Mañacap, aka Olivia Snow, a freelance makeup artist and a member of the Filipino community in Woodside, New York," saad ni Mangalile.

"On January 20, 2023, the Consulate was informed by an employee of Best Western Hotel located in 30th Street in Manhattan that Ms. Snow passed away in the room she was occupying at that hotel. The New York Police Department reportedly took Ms. Snow’s body in the afternoon of January 19, 2023," dagdag nito.

"The Consulate also received a Memorandum from the Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) dated January 20, 2023 requesting the Consulate’s assistance in locating Ms. Snow’s next-of-kin. The Consulate was able to locate Ms. Snow’s relatives in Davao, Philippines, through the help of the Filipino community in New York, and has since connected the OCME with the family of the deceased. The same Memorandum also confirms Ms. Snow’s date of death," ani Mangalile.

"The Consulate is in close coordination with Ms. Snow’s aunt residing in the Philippines, and her cousin residing in New York, as the family continues to decide on the next course of action.

"The Consulate is closely coordinating with Ms. Snow’s next of kin and the Office of Chief Medical Examiner on determining the exact cause of death. At this moment, there is no indication that would support a suspicion of foul play in the case of Ms. Snow," aniya.

Nakikipag-ugnayan na ang Assistance to Nationals Unit sa pamilya ng dalawang Pinoy para malaman kung anong tulong pa ang maaaring ibigay ng Konsulado sa mga ito.

“The Philippine Consulate General in New York is ready to extend assistance to the grieving families of Ms. Zeny Braga and Ms. Olivia Snow in facilitating the release of documents that would allow the expeditious repatriation of their mortal remains, and in finding a cost-effective means of repatriating said remains while exhausting all possible and available sources of funding," ayon sa isang statement ng Konsulado.

"The Consulate was informed that Ms. Braga and Ms. Snow's friends, as well as members of the Filipino/Filipino-American community, are planning to raise funds to help in the expenses for the wakes and in bringing home the remains of both deceased," dagdag nito.

"The Consulate will continue to work with both families on how the DFA may assist them in these difficult times," ani Konsulado.

Samantala nakipagpulong si Mangalile kay New York City Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Manuel Castro para masiguro ang proteksiyon ng mga Pilipino sa New York City. —KG, GMA Integrated News