Student had hoped to earn enough money to help send her cousins to college
TRAGIC murder victim Jastine Valdez had hoped to earn enough money in Ireland to send her cousins to college back in the Philippines.
Close friends and family of the young woman say that Jastine was also looking out for her younger cousins. Jastine (24) had studied financial management in Baguio City in the Philippines.
Since moving to Ireland, she was a student at IT Tallaght, studying a higher certificate in accountancy.
A viewing has been arranged for today, with Jastine reposing at Thomas Murphy and Sons Funeral Home in Bray between 2pm and 6pm.
Her repatriation is expected to occur early next week.
Katrine Kaye, who attended high school in Aritao in the Philippines and university with Jastine, said that while Jastine was sad to leave her home country in 2016, she was also looking forward to living with her parents in Ireland.
“She was sad, of course, leaving us, her friends in the Philippines but I can see she was also happy since she was going to be with her parents,” Katrine said.
“I’m hurt, my friends are hurt, everyone is in pain hearing the news.”
Katrine said she had not seen Jastine in more than a year but they had planned to meet up in Dubai.
“It’s very sad knowing that we haven’t seen each other for more than a year,” she said.
“Communication is there but it’s different when you’re together. Then that happened, it was so unexpected. We’ve never imagined this happening to
anyone, to her especially.”
A relative of Jastine, Jocelynne Nisperos, said that Jastine had intended on helping her younger cousins get to college.
Meanwhile, an incredible €118,364 has now been raised on a Gofundme page set up for her parents.