Fil-Am Survivor Holds on to Subway ‘Pink Slip’ as a Reminder of 9/11 Survival

New York, USA – The United States solemnly commemorated the 24th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, which claimed nearly 3,000 lives—including several Filipinos—making it the deadliest terrorist assault in modern history.

At Ground Zero in New York, the names of the victims were read aloud one by one, honoring those who perished when two hijacked planes struck the World Trade Center towers.

Among the survivors was Filipina lawyer and New York nurse practitioner Angie Cordova, who vividly remembers the terrifying ordeal. On the morning of the attacks, she was on a subway train directly beneath the World Trade Center when the planes hit.

“Suddenly, there was an announcement that the train had to stop because of a police investigation,” she recalled. “We stayed underground for a while until we were moved to another train and given a pink slip.”

As their train crossed the Williamsburg Bridge, Cordova and other passengers saw the twin towers engulfed in flames. “Everybody was in shock. We all cried. Minutes later, the towers collapsed. It was heartbreaking,” she said.

Cordova later learned that the subway operator had quickly halted operations after receiving reports of an explosion when the first plane struck the North Tower. “If they hadn’t stopped, we could all have died underground,” she added. She has kept the pink slip given to her that day as a haunting reminder of her survival.

In Pennsylvania, ceremonies honored the 40 passengers of United Airlines Flight 93, who fought back against hijackers before the plane crashed in Somerset County, preventing it from reaching its intended target in Washington, D.C.

At the Pentagon, tributes were also paid to the 125 employees and 64 passengers who died when another hijacked plane struck the military headquarters.

Twenty-four years later, the pain and memory of 9/11 remain deeply etched in the hearts of survivors, families, and communities across the world.