Dolphy has pneumonia, receives Gawad na Diwa ng Lahi award

MANILA, Philippines – At 6:10 PM, June 22, Eric Quizon gave the following updates on the condition of his father, king of comedy Dolphy:

1) His blood pressure has been regulated, although his heart rate is still fluctuating.

“His kidney creatinine is lower, but still above the normal range,” said Quizon. “It’s at 1.58 when the normal range is around .7.” 

The result of the most recent bloodwork on Dolphy is that his hemoglobin level is up. It is now 11.

His platelet count is still very low; today (June 22) it’s at 46,000. “The other day, it was at 77,000,” said Quizon. “That’s why he’s very prone to hemorrhaging.”

2) He has developed a temperature.

Through an ECG procedure Dolphy underwent today, his doctors found out that he has pneumonia again, this time in both lungs. Antibiotics are being administered to him. Quizon called this their family’s “latest challenge.”

“He probably got tired from the dialysis,” he said. “This is his 11th pneumonia in 11 months.”

They are glad, though, that the pneumonia was detected early. “Hopefully, he survives again,” said Quizon.

3) He is responsive, but not as responsive as yesterday (June 21).

On Thursday after his first dialysis, Dolphy could turn his head towards the direction of the person calling or speaking to him. Today, Friday, due to the antibtiotics he is taking to fight his pneumonia, he is groggy.

“That’s the problem with his sickness, his COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) — there’s a domino effect,” said Quizon.

Family members are no longer allowed to go inside Dolphy’s ICU room together, to protect him from virus and bacteria.

4) He is still suffering from internal hemorrhage; the exact location yet to be determined.

“They cannot perform surgery to find out where it is exactly,” said Quizon. “(The doctors) said it could be gastric or in the stomach, that area.”

Doctors suspect that the lining of Dolphy’s stomach is getting thinner because of his medications, but this has yet to be proven.

5) He was supposed to undergo dialysis for 3 days, but they had to stop at one day (June 21) because of the complications that came out today, June 22.

“Yesterday (Thursday) there was big improvement. Today (Friday) there are complications,” said Quizon. “We’ll see tomorrow (Saturday) if dialysis can be performed again,” he added.

When asked if his father is feeling any pain, Quizon said they have been assured by doctors that his father is not; they can see, though, that the procedures are not easy on him.

6) He is respirated, not incubated.

Dolphy is fed through a line inserted in his nose, because the veins in his arms have collapsed.

3:30 PM is the last time Dolphy responded to one of is daughter’s calls, as he was being checked by his doctors. Partner Zsazsa Padilla is holding up, trying her best to cope with the situation.

“Whatever my dad is going through, the family is also going through,” said Quizon. “It’s a roller coaster ride.”

He clarified news that his father was already seen speaking last night. “I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again — he can’t talk,” he said.

This Saturday and Sunday, Quizon said their medical bulletin will be given at an earlier time, between 3 PM and 4 PM. Concerned fans may call the Makati Medical Center’s 24/7 hotline (8888-999) to know the latest on the comedy king.

“Thank you for praying not just for our dad but for our family too,” Quizon said towards the end of the presscon. “Please continue praying.”

Gawad na Diwa ng Lahi 

Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim and members of the Manila City government conferred the Gawad ng Diwa ng Lahi award to Dolphy today, June 22, alongside celebrations for Manila Day.

The Gawad na Diwa ng Lahi is the highest honor given by the government of Manila to artists.

Vandolph received the award for his father and thanked the city government. 

When asked about his thoughts on his father finally being hailed as a National Artist, he gave a curt reply:

“For me, national artist na ng buhay ko ang tatay ko noon pa (My father has been the national artist of my life ever since).” – Rappler.com