Ten-year-old Bernadette Sanchez Abogado was brought to the Philippine Heart Center, Quezon City, a year ago and diagnosed by a heart specialist to have a hole in her heart. The doctor prescribed Lanoxin tablet as her maintenance medicine. Bernadette is the daughter of Bernardo Abogado, a carpenter and Erlinda S. Abogado, a housewife.
Bernard, as he is fondly called by his peers and coworkers, usually earns a daily wage of P3.50. He has to have a job continuously to be able to provide for his daughter Bernadette the much-needed Lanoxin tablet. Without the medication, his daughter would be hospitalized every now and then. Despite her illness, Bernadette is now in Grade 3 at the Camambugan Elementary School here in Daet. At times she fails to go to school due to her heart ailment, or when her family has nothing to buy her maintenance medicine. Being our neighbor, Bernard once came to our residence with a problem: his only daughter among their three children could hardly breathe and was confined in the hospital.
On July 31, 2012, upon hearing the news that Typhoons “Egie” and “Julian” had merged forces to pose a stronger threat and fearing that the roof of the headquarters of Camarines Norte Veterans District and Daet South-Imelda Veterans Post might be blown off by strong winds, I immediately hired Bernard and my nephew Jose O. Paris, carpenters, to demolish the existing old building and build a concrete one with stronger materials so he could provide for his family and buy the maintenance medicine badly needed by his daughter up to mid-December 2012.Considering Bernard’s predicament as well as the perilous condition of his daughter Bernadette, I would like to make an appeal, through the Inquirer, to our generous kababayan to chip-in whatever amount they can afford to help Bernadette have for a thorough medical check-up and treatment of her heart ailment in order for her to enjoy a longer, healthier life.
—GODOFREDO O. PETEZA SR.
JP Rizal Street
Barangay Camambugan
Daet, Camarines Norte 4600