Friend, uncle visit repatriated OFW with amnesia

A ray of hope appeared for repatriated OFW Richard Soriano Reyes who suffers from amnesia after two people who claim to know him showed up to shed some light about his forgotten identity.

According to a report by Sandra Aguinaldo in GMA's 24 Oras on Monday, the old friend of Reyes, Edmar De Guzman, visited the Las Piñas Hospital.

De Guzman said that he was a former colleague of Reyes in China where they both worked as DJs.

He added that they even lived under the same roof from 2005 to 2007.

"He is the best DJ. Specializing sa Chinese, magaling mag-Chinese," he said, adding that Reyes worked in China for 20 years.

Though Reyes cannot remember these memories, De Guzman bared that their tattoos would prove their friendship.

He also explained that the "Amanda" tattooed on the arm of Reyes was the name of a Chinese national who used to be the latter's girlfriend in China. De Guzman said that the two fell apart a long time ago and that they had a child.

According to De Guzman, Reyes started to have problems with his visa in 2008, but continued to stay in China illegally.

Meanwhile, Reyes's uncle Divino Soriano also dropped by at the hospital over the weekend.

Soriano told the repatriated OFW about his grandmother who raised him. The grandmother is believed to be staying in Batangas but Soriano has yet to find her exact address.

Reyes also has three half-siblings from his mother's side—one is in abroad while the whereabouts of the other two are still unknown.

An attending doctor said that the OFW is now in stable condition and may already be discharged from the hospital but the concerned government agencies are still mulling where to transfer him.

"Kung maaari magpunta po 'yung mga kamag-anak ng patient pero kung talagang wala, na-coordinate naman na po ang case ni Richard sa DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development)," social welfare officer Maricon Del Rosario said.

Reyes was repatriated from China on March 29, 2019.

According to the DFA, Richard suffered a stroke and a brain hemorrhage in 2017 and lost his memory after undergoing surgery and examination. —Dona Magsino/LDF, GMA News