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Thursday, November 24, 2005
Probe office chief suffers stroke, critical
MANILA -- National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Chief Reynaldo Wycoco was rushed to the Manila Doctor's Hospital after he collapsed while conducting a meeting at the NBI office on Wednesday.
Malacañang was shocked by the incident and said it is praying for the immediate recovery of Wycoco.
Wycoco was in a meeting with representatives of the US Department Homeland Security at the NBI Headquarters when he slumped in his chair. He was rushed to the hospital.
"We hope he would recover. We earnestly hope he would recover. Nagulat kaming lahat dito dahil kasi (we are all surprised because) we know him as a very-health conscious person, malakas (strong). Our prayers are for him, ipagdadasal namin na maka-recover siya (we pray for his recovery). I'm sure the President is very concerned," said Gabriel Claudio, presidential adviser for political affairs.
He said Wycoco, "an ideal bureaucrat, a gentleman", was probably just stressed out.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was expected to visit and personally check on Wycoco at the Manila Doctors' Hospital Wednesday afternoon.
Since Arroyo assumed the presidency in 2001, several of her appointees have had to go on medical leave, the last of which was National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales who had a mild stroke during the Senate hearing on the Venable LLP consultancy contract in September. Gonzales returned to work two weeks ago.
Others who went on medical leave included Executive Secretary Renato de Villa, who underwent quadruple bypass on April 2001, and then presidential chief of staff Renato Corona, who underwent an eye and intestinal operation in November of the same year.
A former executive secretary, Alberto Romulo, also underwent a double bypass in May 2002 while ex-Presidential Commission on Good Government chairperson Haydee Yorac suffered a mild stroke while in a meeting with President Arroyo in January 2003. She died of cancer recently.
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye also went on leave in May 2003 due to slipped disc while then Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office chairperson Ma. Livia Singson-De Leon also suffered a stroke while presiding over a meeting in April 2004.
Then budget secretary Emilia Boncodin went on leave in February 2005 to undergo kidney treatment while presidential liaison for political affairs Jose Maria Rufino went on medical leave in July of the same year and eventually resigned and Presidential Management Staff (PMS) head Rigoberto Tiglao is still on leave after undergoing a heart bypass.
Aside from her appointees, several other personalities also suffered heart attacks while attending a function with the President, among them Compostella Valley Governor Jose Caballero, who was a member of the President's delegation during the December 2 to 5, 2002 state visit in Japan and who had to stay behind to undergo treatment, and Jabonga (Agusan del Norte) Mayor Narcisita Moran, while the President was visiting her province. She later succumbed to the heart attack on December 16, 2002.
Sarangani Representative Erwin Chiongbian fainted due to high blood pressure and blood sugar while Arroyo was giving her speech during the vin d'honneur in Malacañang on January 9, 2003 while on May 1 of the same year, labor leader Felicisimo Carullo of the National Confederation of Labor also suffered and survived a heart attack after passionately explaining to Arroyo in a dialogue the state of port workers and their need for security of tenure. (JMR/Sunnex)
(November 24, 2005 issue)
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