The parents of Jean Paul Sofia said on Wednesday that they had accepted the Republic Day honour bestowed to them because they viewed it as recognition by the government and the opposition of their fight for justice.  

John Sofia and Isabelle Bonnici told Times of Malta that seeing both sides agree to honour them showed that real change could be achieved when politicians worked together.

"Our intention was never to wage some war on the authorities or politicians  but to push them to do more so that what happened to our son will not happen to anyone else again," John Sofia added.

Jean Paul Sofia, 20, died when a building under construction in Corradino collapsed a year ago. The parents then waged a relentless battle until the government agreed to appoint a public inquiry, having initially resisted it. 

On Wednesday they were among the recipients of the Midalja Għall-Qadi tar-Repubblika. 

Opposition leader Bernard Grech nominated them for the honour. The honours list is compiled by a National  Nominations Committee and the honours are given by the President on the advice of the prime minister. 

Sofia and Bonnici were honoured for having shown “outstanding perseverance to transform the personal grief they are going through into a cause to ensure justice for their son and to avoid other tragedies in the future".

"I dedicate this honour to my beloved son and all the victims of construction. I thank Dr Grech for nominating us and the prime minister for accepting to give us the honour," Bonnici told Times of Malta.

"To me, this is a great gesture of appreciation from both the government and the opposition who are acknowledging my efforts and perseverance to bring about a safer construction industry regulated by good laws that are enforced to avoid deaths. This appreciation spurs me to continue my efforts to ensure that nobody goes through this endless, tragic suffering."

Sofia acknowledged however that the honour also brought back harsh memories of last year's tragedy.

The parents have spearheaded efforts to reform Malta's construction laws and secure accountability for the death of their son, who was killed in December 2022. The public inquiry is ongoing.