Thank-you note

Allow me to clarify some reports about the state of my health. I have been confined since last Wednesday at the Cebu Doctors’ University Hospital initially because of chest pain that I started experiencing when I was in Bangkok and initially ignored as a muscle spasm.

Then last Monday, while attending the wake of Jing Escaño,  who died of cardiac arrest, I experienced another episode of chest pain that quickly disappeared.

On Wednesday,  while I was in the parking area of the Cebu Catholic Television Network waiting for the start of my TV program, I again experienced  chest pain that prompted me to go directly to the hospital emergency room.

After a thorough examination, my cardiologist Dr. Leah Villamor decided that I would be confined in the cardiovascular unit  for further examination and observation. Luckily for me, my condition has been stable and I was  transferred to a regular room yesterday.

The good news is that the angiogram may be required later to determine my heart abnormality before I proceed with  angioplasty.

At this point, let me express my sincerest gratitude to my doctors  Dr. JJ Serrano for kidney care, my cardiologist Dr. Leah Villamor, Dr. Cindy Tan for my diabetes and my former classmate Dr. Peter Mancao, cardiovascular surgeon.

Thanks also to the nurses and doctors of the CDUH  cardiovascular unit for their attention and care.

I hope to be  discharged tomorrow,  and with a lot of prayers to God fully recuperate and return to  normal life. Thanks also to all who offered  prayers for me  and to God our Father for His healing power.

And finally, thank you  to my wife Dr. Naomi Poca for taking care of me when I was hospitalized. Now  I am perfectly okay and my health is nothing to worry about.

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Let me congratulate our Cebu media for the celebration of the 17th Press Freedom Week that opened  last Sunday with a parade.

The continuing challenge for the media is for more vigilance in the search for truth. More effort is needed  to report events factually and accurately and to be fair to the subjects of our reports.

I think Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma’s reminder to  media practitioners to renew efforts in verifying reports is very timely and relevant.

It is public knowledge that competition is stiff among our local papers but I still believe that professionalism  in  reporting especially in our quest for the truth should never be sacrificed.

Another challenge for  media leaders is to protect the  welfare and upgrade  living standards of  media practitioners who are poorly paid especially those in the broadcast sector.   This situation is lamentable.

This  is the reason  many broadcasters engage in  other services and professions to make ends meet, thus sacrificing sometimes the work of verifying  reports.

Much is expected of the media from the  community especially in terms of  professionalism but the need  for better pay should be looked into.