SAMPUNG kapamilya at mga kaibigan ng award-winning veteran actor na si John Arcilla ang pumanaw sa loob lamang ng isang taon.
Sa isang mahabang mensahe na ipinost niya sa kanyang social media account, naglabas ng kanyang saloobin ang aktor sa mga pinagdaanan niyang pagsubok pati na ng kanyang pamilya ngayong panahon ng pandemya.
Ibinalita ni John na ang pinakahuling namaalam sa kanilang pamilya ay ang kapatid niyang si Emmanuel dahil sa heart failure. Hindi na ito umabot ng buhay nang isugod sa isang ospital sa Baler, Aurora noong June 14.
Nagpositibo ito sa COVID-19 kaya hindi na nabigyan ng pagkakataon sina John na makita ang labi ng kapatid sa huling pagkakataon dahil inilibing na agad ito base na rin sa ipinaiiral na safety at health protocols.
Narito ang mensahe ng aktor sa kanyang Facebook, “Today, my Brother Emmanuel Arcilla will be buried at once because he was ‘POSITIVE’ by antigen.
“My brother have been suffering from diabetes and Hypertension for several years now- and he was announced DEAD ON ARRIVAL due to HEART FAILURE but then He was DECLARED covid positive by an ANTIGEN few minutes after and it is a PROTOCOL that the body should be buried in less than 24 hours.
“So it PREVENTED His Kids, Grandchildren and us His Family to see His body, PAINFULLY UNDERSTANDABLE,” lahad pa niya.
Ngunit aminado si John na naglalaro pa rin sa isip niya kung talagang tinamaan nga ng COVID-19 ang nakatatandang kapatid. Hindi raw kasi pinayagan ang hiling ng pamilya na gamitan ng confirmatory PCR test, na itinuturing na “gold standard” dahil sa accuracy rate nito.
“We asked for a real swab wishing to see the result after three days even if He’s already BURIED just to ease our minds but it is not an ‘allowed’ procedure anymore (?) according to the Hospital.
“It is just bothering and too much to bear because Doctor friends say that there’s still INACCURACY in COVID TESTINGS specially with just ANTIGENS and there are several incidents that some friends have experienced ‘false positive’ or ‘false negative’ and the MEDICAL COMMUNITY agreed that it is not a remote possibility.
“I know I should blame NO ONE since the inaccuracy in medical results and diagnostics will not be taken against HOSPITALS or DOCTORS.
“It could be in the testing tools or in the procedures itself since it is not a hundred percent perfected yet as experts said. So now my brother will be clinically declared as a person who died of covid, with uncertainty (?),” paliwanag ng aktor.
Kasunod nito, inalala rin ni John ang pagkamatay ng kanyang amang si Dominador Alemania Arcilla last year na hindi rin niya nakasama sa mga huling sandali ng buhay nito dahil sa pandemya.
“This heartbreaking incident is just a year apart from my Father’s, who left us on April 5, 2020 just almost 2 weeks after the first lockdown in Manila.
“During my Father’s passing, also in Baler, there was an understandable brief wake for all our pleadings.
“Me and my siblings, all the kids and grandchildren here in Manila never had the chance to bury Him even if He died free of covid because of travel understandable restrictions and protocols.
“BALER by that time is still in a ZERO CASE Covid Status, nevertheless It was such a devastating moment in our lives,” aniya pa.
Pagpapatuloy pa niya, “Around November in 2020, my younger sister and her family survived covid in their house. They just followed the advice of a Doctor’s vlog on how to Deal with Covid.
“Last January 2021, I survived Covid in the US. It was a severe one and I consider this my second life. Last April 2021 an elder sister of mine and her family survived covid.
“In times like these it is hard to embrace every PAIN, STRESS and CONSIDERATIONS all at the same time,” sabi pa ni John kasabay ng pagpapasalamat dahil gumaling agad siya sa COVID at bakunado na rin ngayon.
Ngunit aniya, “My relative Gloria Sibal passed away in March 30, 2020 just 2 weeks right after the START of the lockdown in Manila due to covid according to the Hospital.”
Patuloy pa niyang mensahe, “10 loved ones gone in a year time. It is the first time this thing happened and these are all stress related either they were not going out totally or they don’t want to go to hospitals scared of contaminations. In some ways it is all due to the pandemic climate.
“So after more than a year when will this covid scare, dying with covid and dying probably with covid end? USA is 400x bigger than our small Philippine archipelago but they’re starting to go back to normal.
“From WHOSE weakness why our situation is getting worse? It could be our people (baka madami pa din pasaway) It could be the People who makes bussiness out of these miseries (Bakit sila nakakalusot).
“It could be some Public officials (bakit natin sila binoboto) Who really knows? But one thing is for sure, It is all our responsibilities.
“We need to mature as people to ACT RESPONSIBLE and RELIABLE to LESSEN or totally avoid these kinds of misfortunes.
“I grieve for my brother, for all the loved ones who passed away and to all families who had thesame experience as ours.”
Sa huli, sinabi ng aktor na, “I can say am better now in handling these situations compared to the months before this.
“My Family, my friends and my work PUSHED my perseverance to deal with it and they made me stronger. Keeping my TRUST and CONNECTION to the ALMIGHTY keeps me better everyday,” lahad pa ng “Ang Probinsyano” actor.