Maid rewarded for saving children

Maid rewarded for saving children

SINGAPORE (AFP): A Filipina maid who saved three children when
a fire broke out at an apartment block here has received a
commendation from Philippine President Fidel Ramos and been
rewarded by her employers.

Zenaida Recarte, 20, who hurt her head and back while taking
her three charges downstairs from their 16th-story flat, was
presented with a photocopy of the commendation by Philippine
embassy officials, The Sunday Times said.

From her grateful Singaporean employers, she received a gold
necklace and pendant as a reward, it said.

Ramos reportedly praised Recarte's presence of mind, adding
that her action had confirmed Filipinos' belief that overseas
contract workers were "modern-day heroes."

Recarte first carried a one-year-old boy and then led his
older sisters aged 10 and five down the stairs from their flat
during the Christmas Day fire which sparked an emergency
evacuation.

She jumped from the second-story with the boy, hurting her
head and back, but, despite the pain, returned to bring the girls
to safety. She said later that her only thought was to save the
children.