'Heroic' OFW who rescued baby during Hong Kong apartment fire returns home to the PH

Rhodora Alcaraz, a Pinay domestic helper who was hailed a hero after saving her employer's three-month-old baby from a deadly fire in Tai Po, Hong Kong, is now back home in the Philippines.

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration announced that Alcaraz returned to the country on Dec. 16, after being hospitalized for weeks following the blaze.

She was welcomed by her two siblings, OWWA personnel, as well as President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and his First Lady, Liza Marcos, at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport - Terminal 3.

"Diretso namang umuwi si Rhodora kasama ang kanyang mga kapatid patungo sa kanilang tahanan sa Laguna, sa tulong at paggabay ng OWWA Regional Office IV-A, upang masiguro ang maayos at ligtas na pagbabalik niya sa piling ng kanyang pamilya," OWWA wrote in its post.

Alcaraz had just started working for her new employer when the fire broke out in a residential fire in Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, which happened on Nov. 26.

Her sister, Raychelle Loreto, told Reuters that Alcaraz wrapped the baby in a wet blanket while they were trapped in a smoke-filled room for several hours before being rescued by firefighters.

The Pinay helper, who has seven other siblings, also sent distressed audio messages to her sister in the Philippines via Facebook.

Alcaraz worked for two years in Qatar before she took a job in Hong Kong.

"We are poor. Our father is just a fisherman, that is why she decided to work abroad to help the family," Loreto told Reuters. "We are so proud of our sister," she added.

After being rescued, Alcaraz was placed in an intensive care unit until she recovered.

The fire killed 160, including one Filipino.