MANILA, Philippines — Actor Cris Villanueva revealed that he and his family survived COVID-19.
At the virtual media conference of “Maalaala Mo Kaya” yesterday, Cris said his symptoms included shortness of breath, high fever and loss of appetite.
"Ang naging symptoms ko ay 'yung nahirapang huminga. Bumabagsak ang oxygen. Mataas na mataas na lagnat like I had a 39.5°C, 39.7°C na fever (for) straight five days and chills. Tapos sobrang weak, hindi makakain," Cris said.
"Hindi makainom ng tubig kasi palaging busog. 'Yun pala puno ng water 'yung lungs ko that's why I couldn't even eat, I couldn't drink because isang drink ng tubig busog na busog na ako. I thought I was okay until 'yun nga tumataas na 'yung fever ko and 'yung chills, nanghihina. I lost a lot of weight like sobrang pumayat ako," he said.
Cris initially thought he will lose the battle against COVID-19.
"Parang feeling ko talaga mawawala na ako. Gusto ko na magbilin. Pero you see, a lot of people were praying for me. A lot of my friends were, a lot of my family members were,” he said.
The versatile actor shared that thankfully, his family was never isolated with each other since they all got the dreaded virus.
“Isa lang magandang nangyari noon since lahat kami mayroong COVID, buong family, hindi kami naka-isolate sa isa't isa so we are free to see each other. We eat sabay-sabay. Nagkikita-kita kami sa labas kapag nagpapa-araw kami. We were not isolated, 'yun lang ang maganda roon. Pero you see ang hirap. Masakit 'yung symptoms niya," he said.
He professed that he and his family didn’t know where they got the virus so he advised the public to be extra careful.
"Until now, hindi pa rin namin malaman kung saan namin nakuha ang COVID but my whole family got affected. And the torture of you thinking na magkakaroon ng grabeng sintomas ang mga anak niyo, mga kaibigan, hindi po biro 'yon. Nakakabaliw po isipin na ang mga anak niyo ay may COVID at kayo wala rin kayong maitulong dahil pati kayo infected. Please don't go out. Huwag kayong lalabas. Mag-stay na lang po kayo sa bahay hanggang sa mawala po ang pandemic."
Maris Racal and Cris Villanueva topbill “MMK”’s Father's Day special this June 12 and 19. For 20 years, all Jai (Maris) wanted was to find her father. Even if her mother and stepfather love her, she still feels an emptiness in her life. When she found work as a crew in delivery service, she used the opportunity to search for her father while working.
Don’t miss “MMK” on Kapamilya Channel at A2Z, Kapamilya Online Live YouTube channel, ABS-CBN Entertainment Facebook page, and iWantTFC. For viewers outside of the Philippines, catch it on The Filipino Channel on cable and IPTV.