Sad, tragic story of Thomas Hunt
Left penniless and stranded in Oro, American was alone even in death
HERBIE GOMEZ – Editor in chief
and MARK FRANCISCO – Staff member
THE poor American septuagenarian was alone even in death.
Thomas J. Hunta’s body has been at the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes since April 27, and the people running the place say they do not know what to do with his remains.
Inside one of Cosmopolitana’s ”˜”˜chapelsa’a’ on Capistrano Street is Hunta’s white casket. The coffin is a bit expensive but the ”˜”˜chapela’a’ where Hunta’s body lies in state is considered the cheapest facility Cosmopolitan can offer.
The dead American, who lost a lot of weight judging from his loose skin, is clad in a cheap white office Barong. Around the Baptista’s hands, ironically, is a Catholic rosary.
Yesterday morning, the seats were all empty; there was literally no living thing inside that ”˜”˜chapel.a’a’
”˜”˜They say the interment will be on Saturday,a’a’ said a Cosmopolitan executive as he pointed to a whiteboard that showed that workers were supposed to bring Mr. Hunta’s body to a cemetery tomorrow.
”˜”˜But quite frankly, I really dona’t know. Until now, no payment has been made… not a single centavo. And the wife is not here.a’a’
Workers at Cosmopolitan said the facility where the body of the American lies in state has been unattended most of the time.
”˜”˜Ita’s like he was abandoned, technically speaking,a’a’ said one executive.
Just outside the ”˜”˜chapel,a’a’ a woman who identified herself only as Inday was playing solitaire.
”˜”˜Ia’m their neighbor and I was just asked to watch,a’a’ Inday told The Gold Star Daily in the vernacular. ”˜”˜They just went out to buy something.a’a’
Asked if she knew where Hunta’s widow was, Inday replied: ”˜”˜She was here last night.a’a’
For some reason, the widow, unknown to Inday, is still in the US. Inday bumbled when she was asked if she knew that.
”˜”˜Ita’s because they know me but I dona’t know them that well, really,a’a’ she spoke haltingly.
Hunt, 72, was married to the former Janelaze Songcuya, a woman who could have passed off as his granddaughter.
Elmer Zink, who claims to be living about 30 miles from where the widow is living right now, said the Hunts had decided to move to Cagayan de Oro in May last year, a month after the American retired from an establishment called Hoppstettera’s Office Products.
Zink said the Hunts went bankrupt and lost their home in Yuma, Arizona. Without elaborating, Zink blamed the woman for the bankruptcy.
”˜”˜In May 2008, she convinced him to go on ahead of her to Cagayan de Oro, and she would follow as soon as she received her permanent green card or extension on her two-year green card,a’a’ said Zink.
Mr. Hunt flew to Cagayan de Oro but his wife never came. Instead, according to Zink, Mrs. Hunt went to live in Fairfax, Virginia”“”“allegedly with a boyfriend.
Hunta’s widow, said to be working as a saleslady at a Macya’s branch in Virginia, could not be reached for comment at presstime. But she told YumaSun.com earlier that she did not follow her husband here because ”˜”˜they could not afford two round trip tickets.a’a’
When YumaSun pressed for further explanation, she said the reason was between her and her husband. She also said she wanted to bring her husband back to the US but she had no money.
Expat Mike Farrell told The Gold Star Daily Hunt and Janelaze stumbled on each other via the Internet.
In 2005, the American brought his then fiancA©e, to Yuma, Arizona, said a relative of the widowa’s.
Janelazea’s aunt, Grace Songcuya, said the couple had planned to settle here for good. “Thomas realized that he was only getting a pension thata’s a meager amount in the States so he decided to come here ahead of his wife.”
Songcuya said Hunt stayed with her family in Barangay Consolacion for almost a year.
“We treated him like he was a member of the family. He told us, smiling, that he was very satisfied here unlike in Yuma where he had no family,” Songcuya said.
While in Cagayan de Oro, Hunt had very little money because he entrusted his monthly social security pension of US$1 thousand to Janelaze, Farrell said. ”˜”˜He was that in love with her.a’a’
Zink, who lives south of Baltimore, Maryland, corroborated this in an e-mail: ”˜”˜Mr. Hunta’s (social security pension of) $1000/month [was] deposited to his American bank account monthly… The wife had debit card and used some of his SS money for her while he was in Cagayan de Oro. She denies this, but he had very little money… and she has also never showed me the bank statements.a’a’
Janelaze confirmed to the YumaSun that Hunt was receiving a US$1-thousand monthly pension that was deposited to their joint bank account. Because Hunt was ill, she said, her family members in Cagayan de Oro were granted access to the account.
Zink said that when Hunt arrived in the city last year, he stayed at a hotel but later moved in with Janelazea’s parents because he was running out of cash. Subsequently, he said, Hunt lived with the family of Janelazea’s sister ”˜”˜who had a house with dirt floor.a’a’
Hunt, according to Zink, became ill when continuous heavy rains battered the city last January. The American was a diabetic and ”˜”˜[he] didna’t have enough money for his insulin.a’a’
The YumaSun quoted Hunta’s stepson Ted Hammon of Phoenix as saying that Hunt had brain tumor and suffered from complications due to diabetes.
The American became delirious and was rushed to the Polymedic General Hospital on Velez Street where he was confined since Jan. 29.
Songcuya, Janelazea’s aunt, said the hospital bills reached P570,665.95. No payment has been made at presstime and that means no death certificate can be issued. Without a death certificate, Hunt cannot be laid to rest, legally.
Hunta’s widow also owes Cosmopolitan some P45 thousand for its services, including a five-day use of its facilities. After five days, Cosmopolitan charges ”˜”˜overstaying customersa’a’ on a daily basis.
While in the hospital, very little was done for Hunt until a doctor informed expats in the city that there was an American in Polymedic who had no visitors for a month, according to Zink.
Farrell said the expats met and soon, their wives started raising funds for Hunt. He said the group spent nearly P100 thousand for medicines.
”˜”˜They were getting small donations. They were not much… some gave $50, others gave $200 ,a’a’ said Farrell.
But Janelazea’s aunt Grace, who works in a local court, was unhappy with the expats and their wives, said Farrell. He said the women were later accused of using Hunt for unauthorized solicitations, and the women were driven away when they went to Cosmopolitan for the wake.
Songcuya, according to Farrell, threatened to sue the group. He said she also ”˜”˜ordereda’a’ one of the expats to see her as if she had the authority.
”˜”˜They helped a lot and that was what they got,a’a’ said Farrell.
Now, said Farrell, the widow wants the expats and their wives to shoulder the medical and funeral expenses because ”˜”˜she says she doesna’t have money.a’a’
Out of the blue, Songcuya said, came the group of Filipino women in Cagayan de Oro who are married to expats.
“I was surprised [and questioned] the motive of this group. Who are they to interfere with our affairs?” asked Songcuya.
She said the group called ”˜”˜Expatsa’ Ladies Charitiesa’a’ solicited funds here and abroad supposedly to pay the hospital bills, and wake and burial expenses.
“But we or Polymedic or Cosmopolitan never received a single centavo from this group,” Songcuya said.
She said the group needs to account for the funds.
Thomas J. Hunt’s remains in an empty Cosmopolitan ‘‘chapel’’ on Thursday morning. City hall has expressed concern yesterday. -PHOTO BY DANTE SUD ARIA
***
In the website of Yuma, Arizona, YumaSun, here is the one of the write ups
Former Yuman dies in hospital in Philippines
Comments 6 | Recommend 2
April 28, 2009 – 4:27 PM
BY STEPHANIE A. WILKEN, SUN STAFF WRITER
Thomas Hunt, formerly of Yuma, died Sunday morning in a hospital in the Philippines.Hunt was 72 years old.
Hunt, who moved to the city of Cagayan de Oro in the Philippines last
year, was suffering from brain tumor complications due to diabetes, his former stepson Ted Hammon of Phoenix previously told The Sun.Hunt moved from Yuma to Cagayan de Oro with the intention of retiring there with his wife Janelaze, but his wife never made the move.
Janelaze Hunt told The Sun Tuesday from her home in Virginia that she plans to bury Hunt in the Philippines because she doesn’t have enough money to bring him home. His body has been released from the hospital, but she is trying to gather money for a burial.
Janelaze Hunt said Hunt wanted to be buried in the Philippines.
Hammon said he never had the chance to talk with Hunt about his wishes, but that Hammon said he believes Hunt would have liked to have been buried in Phoenix, where both of his parents are.
Hunt, a veteran, served with the United States Navy in the mid 1950s.
Hammon said he will remember Hunt’s “strong” involvement in church
the most. And he said Hunt was a “strong Christian man with strong Christian values.”Janelaze Hunt said Hunt “was an extremely kind and caring man. “
“He did so much for me that I will always cherish him. I will truly miss him for who he was.”
Hammon said the group of ex-pats wives that were caring for Hunt in the Philippines did a lot for a man they barely knew.
“I think the ladies that were working and visiting him daily and the people who contributed to buying medicine for him in his last days should be highly commended,” Hammon said.
–
Stephanie A. Wilken can be reached at swilken@yumasun.com or 539-6857.
***
And here are the comments:
shenney74 wrote:
i have been following this issue since it started. i just amazed how the report was so platonic well in fact the story with mr. hunt was so heartbreaking in a sense that it touches peoples heart all over the world. you can read everything here how this man situation touches good peoples heart and lives http://zinkhome.net/tomhunt/tomhunt.html. About his “WIFE” with herself showing off all over the internet site with the love of her life (Albert Dermott not Mr Thomas Hunt)is so selfish and have the nerve to tell the yumasun that she wants “THEM” to bring her husband back yah right! they already pay for the medications and so forth using their own money while the wife uses mr.hunt Social security money for herself!!! janelaze the so called wife stated that he will truly miss her husband! oh really?? maybe that is the reason why she never visited him the hospital WHEN HER HUSBAND IS STILL ALIVE!! but rather moved in with her boyfriend albert dermott, you know what you should change your name now because you dont deserve to be using the HUNT last name, why dont you use your bf’s last name it fits you the best make it JANELAZE DEMON i mean DERMOTT!!!
angel52 wrote:
very sad for Mr. Hunt. Condolence to the family, not include the greedy wife. May the wife of mr. hunt rest in peace with conscience.
5/1/2009 9:34:15 PM
chapz48 wrote:
Thoughts and prayers to the Hammon family and people who cared for him, NOT to his greedy wife though, Karma, it’s coming your way!!!!
***
Another website was featuring a more comprehensive coverage of Thomas Hunt story, http://zinkhome.net/tomhunt/tomhunt.html
Here is the entry and some comments:
We are trying to bring Mr. Hunt home to the USA to be buried in the Veterans National Memorial Cemetery in Phoenix. This is what Mr. Hunt wanted and his family in Arizona wants to do. But neither Janelaze, or her family in the Philippines will permit that.
Thomas Hunt Situation
Compilation of Efforts and Communication
Updated
May 4, 2009 2:10 M +0800 Philippine Time
May 3, 2009 11:10 PM -0700 Arizona Time
Thomas Hunt of Yuma, Arizona has been left stranded in the Philippines by his wife, Janelaze. Mr. Hunt lies in a hospital near death while his wife lives with her boyfriend in Fairfax, VA.
Mr. Hunt brought his then fiancee, Janelaze Songcuya, here to the United States in December, 2005. They were married and resided in Yuma, Arizona. In May, 2008, Mr. Hunt and his wife planned a trip to the Cagayan de Oro, Philippines. Janelaze convinced Mr. Hunt to fly on ahead of her to the Philippines, saying she would join him later, after her green card extension arrived. After Mr. Hunt flew to the Philippines, his wife then moved to Virginia to live with her boyfriend.
Janelaze Hunt, never joined Mr. Hunt in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines, and Mr. Hunt has been unable to return home because he has no money. Then, this past January, Mr. Hunt became very ill and was admitted to the Hospital and is currently lying in very grave condition, lacking the much needed and proper medical care that he so desperately needs to survive and hopefully, recover. Philippine Hospitals require payment in advance for services and medications. Mr. Hunt is only receiving the few medications that his friends can manage to buy.
And the comments:
Subject: Thomas Hunt
Date: Sun, 26 Apr 2009 11:15 -0700
From: Elmer Zink
To: EveryoneIt is with a very heavy heart that I must announce that Thomas J. Hunt passed away at 11 pm Philippine Time on Sunday, April 26, 2009, in Polymedic General Hospital, Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental, Philippines.
I am so saddened by this news. Such a good man as Thomas Hunt deserved far better than to die alone in a foreign hospital and for lack of the essential medical treatment that he so desparately needed and which could have been provided here in the United States or in Manila.
Our Condolences to the family and close friends of Thomas on his tragic passing. And many heartfelt thanks to Daisy Cline and the women of the Expats Ladies Charities, and the many people from around the world who contributed to the efforts to save Thomas. Thank you ALL, from the bottom of my heart….. Elmer
Subject: Tommy Hunt….GODSPEED!
Date: Mon, 27 Apr 2009 08:19:13 +0800
From: Daisy Cline
To: Elmer Zink, Tom Landry
Elmer and Tom,I would like to believe in my heart that he died peacefully. The last time I visited him was last Thursday and I told him we love him very much and we are doing everything we can for him and asked him to hang
on… He gave me a positive sign by winking even it was too hard.That night 10pm I told Aurea I will not be with them until Saturday as we have some last minute preparations for the wedding. Sunday also is my Church and family day…..
Me too is lost! Just have to convince myself that he is happy now and no more pain for him. I know the nurses in ICU took care of him…. and I’m sure he didn’t die alone because Linda and Aurea took turns in being with him every night at the are designated for the watcher of the ICU patients….
I will be there today Elmer
Subject: [Expats-in-Cagayan-de-Oro] The passing of Thomas Hunt
Date: Tue, 28 Apr 2009 02:21:16 -0000
From: Stephen Dodge
To: Expats-in-Cagayan-de-Oro@yahoogroups.comMy thoughts on the passing of Thomas Hunt.
Now that Mr. Hunt has passed away, I can’t help but think that he is now in a better place. The 3 months he spent at Polymedic Hospital must have been pure hell for him. Knowing that the love of his life, wife Janelaze, wasn’t there at his bedside to offer comfort and support must have been a great disappointment to him. Realizing that her promise to join him in CDO in a few weeks later once her Green Card was approved and never doing so must have made him realize that he had been betrayed.Its obvious that he appreciated the visits he received from various members of the ex-pat community, but the one person he really wanted to be there was never there. I don’t know how much info he was given about his wife’s activities back in the States, but I hope most of it was withheld from him. If he knew the whole story, I am sure it would have been more than he could bear. As it stands, he obviously went to his grave with both a broken heart and a sense of betrayal. How sad! In my opinion, nobody deserves to die like that!
Some other thoughts I have.
Subject: Mr. Hunt
Date: Sun, 26 Apr 2009 19:08:06 -0400
From: Elmer Zink
To: Daisy ClineSunday night, 11pm seems to be a very convenient and lonely time to die. I hope no one at the hospital would decide to turn the machines off. Or that no one was paid to turn off any life support for Mr. Hunt. Maybe I watch too many detective tv shows in the US… but things like that do happen.. and it would be very convenient for Janelaze & Albert to have Mr. Hunt no longer with us.
I am very saddened by this.. I really am.. We came home from Church and I turned on the computer while Maiza began was preparing our lunch. She could hear I was sniffing. And asked me if I was crying. And, why are you crying? And I told her that Mr. Hunt died. And now as I type that, I start crying again.
It is a real sad shame that this had to happen to such a good man.
This story is so terribly sad. I first read about Mr. Hunt while he was still alive and confined in a hospital. I quickly and easily read between the lines. It’s so obvious what the “wife”, Janasleeze – is that the way you spell it? – was after. She seems to have gotten it, too. It appears her goals were Mr. Hunt’s money, a new boyfriend and her own American citizenship. If I read this correctly, I hope the American government charges that woman with neglect, abandonment and elderly abuse – and then deports and/or imprisons her sorry butt! Such a gold digger and thief as this woman appear to be deserves no benefit at all, in my opinion. God bless the wives of the American expats who tried to help. May Mr. Hunt rest in peace.
This is one story that does not make me proud of my fellow filipino. Nothing can justify the acts of Janelaze Songcuya. Its beyond reason, fairness and sanity. She was only after the money. For sure, with the media mileage that this case had already generated, that girl realized what a terrible deed she has done to that poor fellow.
I have no objection of what will your government do to that girl to make her accountable to what she had done to Mr. Hunt. Let this be a cautionary tale for foreigners not to immediately trust some Filipinos because I am very very sure there are a lot of Filipina out there who think and act like Janelaze Songcuya.
It appears that both Janelaze Songcuya and her boyfriend commited a criminal act in the United States by Conspiring to abandon and withold necessary medical treatment and medications that could have saved the life of my Hunt.
Conspiracy to commit a crime is a Felony in most states in the USA.
And to further abandon, neglect, and withhold Mr. Hunt’s Social Security funds that she received before, during, and after Mr. Hunt’s illness, hospitalization, and death, show undisputed facts that Janelaze Songcuya and her boyfriend intended to willfully commit these unlawful and immoral acts against an American Citizen.
The state of Arizona where Mr. Hunt was a resident in the USA, and the United States Justice Department, should bring criminal charges against this woman and her boyfriend, forthwith, without any further delay, and before this woman and her boyfriend move someplace where they can not be found!
The United States Justice Department should also require her to give up her Green Card and her Passport so that she can not move back to the Philippines or to another country before they charge her and arrest her.
All of the expats in the Philippines that care about this type of horrible misconduct by a Filipina woman against her husband, and hopefully thousands of American Citizens that are barely learning about this case, should each write to the U.S. Justice Department in Arizona or in Washington D.C. to have Janelaze Songcuya charged with Criminal Conspiracty, and a number of other Criminal Acts, and have her arrested and prosecuted as soon as possible.
All good and honest men and women in the Philippines should be concerned about the way this woman mistreated her husband, and should want her charged and arrested to send a clear message to any other women that are doing this now or may want to do this in the future, that the good, honest, and kind people in both the Philippines and the United States, will not tolerate this kind of misconduct and criminal acts by a married woman in the future!
If anyone or any group that knew Mr. Hunt, wants to bring a large number of people together to make sure that the U.S. Justice Department hears about this case and brings charges against Janelaze Songcuya and causes her arrest, should contact all of the people that knew Mr. Hunt, or visited him when he was hospitalized, or after his death, and others who have written about this matter, and make sure that the United States Justice Department get’s a complaint filed agains Janelaze Songcuya, immediately.
Yours sincerely,
Ben
i was very saddened that a thing like this happened to mr hunt and his wife should be brought to book over this. the ladies that collected money for medicine and visited mr hunt at the hospital in his hour of need are wee stars. cliff bulacan and edinburgh
I read it somewhere that this Janelaze Songcuya has a child left behind in the Philippines and now wanted to get her child. Wow she is the epitome of a “bieatch” !! I am a Filipina and married to an American guy but jeez I just hated her!! She has the nerve to put all over the internet their picture (her and the bf dermott) and proclaim that she is in love, while Mr. Hunt is in the hospital in the Philippine battling life and death. I just hated this woman I hope she is going to be DEPORTED!!
HI I JUST WANT TO EXPRESS MY SYMPATHY AND CONDOLENCES TO MR THE FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF MR HUNT. I WAS SO SHOCK WITH THIS JANELEZA SUNGCOYA WHO IS HER INHUMAN ACTION, HOW CAN SHE DO THIS TO HIS HUSBAND. I WISH GOD WILL PUNISH HER.
ILL PRAY FOR MR HUNT REPOSE SOUL. REST IN PEACE MR HUNT.
I just stumbled across this blog. I worked four years for the SSA so I know quite a bit of the SSA program. First off, a complaint can be made against his surviving wife with the SSA.
Receiving his SSA pension without written authorization from him may be viewed as fraud under these circumstances. Because she was not the primary beneficiary, her changing the mailing address of the check would also be fraud (a federal offense) on part. Please advise the former Mrs. Hunt that she is eligible to file for collect widow’s benefits from Mr. Hunt’s account that may deprive or reduce any widow’s being paid. If widow’s benefits were or are being paid then SSA will charge the Janeleza with an overpayment and seek recover of those overpaid funds from her including withholding of any widow’s benefits she may be scheduled to receive. SSA always pays lump sum death benefit which may now amount to about $500. Who was that lump sum death benefit paid to? If it was paid out (any SSA Office can advise the surviving widow or relative within minutes if it was paid out, when and to whom). All of this should be initiated stateside but may be corroborated/investigated by SSA’s Division of International Operations in Manila with the local authorities. Any of these violations are federal offenses and within the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice to prosecute.
In addition, these circumstances of duplicity and fraud on the part of Janeleza should be reported to the USA’s Office of Immigration and Naturalization which may be a basis for keeping her green card and deportation back to the Philippines as green card holders are required to maintain good character, no criminal actions, etc. You can read more on this online on the ICE (U.S. Dept of Homeland Security, ICE web site).
Despite the lateness of these facts, death occurred in 2008, etc. there is no statute of limitations on fraud i.e. federal offenses. So please follow through on this.
Hope this helps – Denver2009.
Gordon “Gordy” Elletson claims to be from Texas and posts on the internet under nic TEXKANO. Anyway this loser lives in CDO Philippines and hit a young child , one Xavier Madlangbayan from Iligan City, with a walking cane and then typed a full confession on his forum boasting of his accomplishment. The boys grandfather ,Dr. Severino Madlangbayan, is filing charges against the fake Texan coward and hopefully the loser will face justice this Nov. 20th
PASTED CONFESSION BELOW:
In Right_Minded-Winged_Warriors@y ahoogroups.com , TexKano
TexKano@(Gordon Elletson) wrote:
Okay, here’s the story of my shitty day on Monday.
2 weeks ago I got this letter of THREAT from OPM but sent thru
SSA at he Embassy Now, all of those fuckers got my correct address. I got my OPM
Handbook at the correct address and it is typed inside the pamplet.
the threat? They said I WILL show up at this outreach meeting or
My retirement (all of 569 per month for 26+ years of service) will be
cut off. So, against my will, I’m at a place I don’t wanna be (Pryce Hotel on
The Hill).
over there is this fat lil slug of a boy with his Lolo and Lola. he’s 12 or so.
Making noise slapping his hands on the side of the chair “LOO LO LO LO LA LA LA ” nonsesical noise out his fat lil mouth. had taken and extra valium, so not to bad yet. Gettting on my
nerves, but dealing. Then this lil fuck puts his feet, slippers and all on the dinning table.
I get up and walk over and tap him on the leg with my cane and tell
Him get his smelly feet and slippers off the table and practice acting like a
human being. Now, if I was in one of my rage moods, Lolo would have died when
He bumped into me, challenge why I “HIT” his grandson. Basically, because you, as his Lolo, ain’t doing your job and teach The lil dumb shit manners.
PNP was called, they waited (much to the Dr. Lolo’s dismay) until I was done with the Embassy thing. Him and his wife were irrate and degrading the PNP with their screaming and all around chimpanzee act..
Besides, I called a friend, a Major in the PNP and he arrived and spoke with the PNP. They had no problem with me, but were getting an
Attitude towards this old fart. o I got a free ride in the PNP vehicle (my choice), one of them
Rode with the wife,(again my choice). Old fart has to take grandson to hospital to have him looked at.
He shows up late and tries to bribe one of the officers (Lim) to take his side “I will take care of you” wink wink.
Nope, they all fed up with this guy.
The PNP gives me a good lawyer’s name.
I’m going to court when I get my summons.
Charge, Child Abuse.
I told the PNP, Yep, I did it, but I was wrong and sorry. I should
Have backhanded the old man out of his chair for not teaching his
Grandson manners.
They was all laughing when I left.
Good thing I forgot the guys name and address (saw it while they
Were typing the report) He would be unable to be at the court house.
No brag, just plain fact.
Child abuse?
I gave the PNP my web site address. They was having fun looking at
All my happy kids.
gordy
Доброй ночи. Вот меня, как консультанта из Минска, волнует вопрос о отношении к нам, так сказать к тем, кто только начинает свою карьеру… Ходят слухи, что в других странах накануне праздников, консультантов поздравляют, дарят цветы и подарки, а не обходятся банальной открыткой, как это делается у нас… Ведь это же воистину и приятно и понимаешь, что тебя хоть каплю, но уважают. Расскажите, как у Вас с этим?