Davao del Norte – There are rumors spreading that Former Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, who is presently the 1st District Representative for Davao del Norte, is in critical condition and intubated. He is not in critical condition and neither was he intubated.
Given the increase of Covid-19 cases throughout the country and the community-level transmission we presently face, the law of averages, however, did catch up with Rep. Alvarez. He was infected with the virus which required him to seek medical attention particularly given his age and other factors.
Although there were proposals, Rep. Alvarez politely declined the offer to be granted special access to vaccines before the rollout of the government inoculation program. He has remained steadfast in his position that frontliners, particularly healthcare workers, should be the priority.
Thankfully, Rep. Alvarez has been discharged from a government hospital in Tagum City and is presently recovering with a positive prognosis from his doctors. He has, since last week, while still isolated, began attending to office work by coordinating and communicating with his staff.
Rep. Alvarez is profoundly thankful for the assistance that healthcare workers have extended to him. He reaffirms his commitment, which he consistently honored since returning to Congress in 2016, to allocate sufficient funds to government hospitals in Davao del Norte as part of his zero-billing policy.
The zero-billing program has given indigents access to quality healthcare services without having to pay from their pockets. (Michael Manguhig, RPN DXKT Davao OIC)