Michael V.’s dengue worsens as Ogie Alcasid, other celebs join call for blood donors, prayers

Hours before his sellout 25th anniversary concert at the Mall of Asia Arena last Friday, Ogie Alcasid tweeted that his close friend, Michael V. was confined at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City and needed a donor of B+ type of blood platelets.


Just the day before, August 15, Ogie posted the message, “Get well my dearest bro!! In Jesus name, you will be healed and be up and about. Love you”, along with an Instagram photo of the comedian fondly known to fans and friends as Bitoy lying in his hospital bed and giving the thumbs-up sign.


As it turns out, Michael V. himself tweeted, “Need your prayers” last August 14 with an Instagram link that says, “Dear friends & well wishers, this DENGUE is persistent. My platelets are now down to 47k & it has made me very weak.”

On the basis of his Twitter posts, Bitoy has not been feeling well since August 11 when he tweeted, “Hey guys. Hope you’re enjoying the show (‘Pepito Manaloto’). Kainis, I have a bad flu right now. Pero nood din habang may time.”

That was the day after he appeared in high spirits during a press conference for the renewal of his endorsement deal with Rebisco crackers where he announced that he will be hosting an upcoming game show for TV5.

Aside from Ogie, other celebrities that also called for a blood donor include wife Regine Velasquez, Rhian Ramos and KC Montero.

Among those who heeded Ogie’s call for a blood donor through Twitter are the Philippine Red Cross and actor Rocco Nacino who revealed that he is a type B+ and promised to drop by at St. Luke’s before watching the singer-songwriter’s concert.

But according to a tweet by Mark Escueta at around 8PM Friday night, Bitoy’s blood count had further dropped to 10k. The Rivermaya drummer continues to ask his followers to pray for the “Pepito Manaloto” star.

source: interaksyon.com

Director Marilou Diaz Abaya, 57, dies of breast cancer

Award-winning director Marilou Diaz Abaya died on Monday evening at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig after a long battle with breast cancer. She was 57.

Abaya, a devout Catholic, was pronounced her final rites on Sunday afternoon.

The director of the acclaimed films “Jose Rizal”, “Muro Ami”, “Sa Pusod ng Dagat”, “Brutal” and “Moral”, Abaya took a sabbatical from the film industry when she contractred breast cancer eight years ago, one year after making the film “Noon at Ngayon”.

She was believed to have recovered from the disease two years later. She put up her film school, the Marilou Diaz Abaya Film Institute and Arts Center, in 2006, and made her last film, “Ikaw Ang Pag-ibig” last year. Her breast cancer returned last March in terminal stage.

Until late last month she had been active on Facebook and Twitter. She was optimistic about her  recovery on her last Facebook post on September 17.

A week before that, she quoted Albert Einstein with this post: “there’s only two ways to live your life; either by believing that nothing is a miracle, or, by believing that everything is a miracle” :)

Abaya was one of the most decorated Filipino filmmakers regardless of gender. She won numerous awards from all the notable local award-giving bodies. In 2001, she was named Laureate for the Fukuoka Prize for Culture and the Arts in Japan.

source: interaksyon.com