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| Doc Mike posted this photo of him on his Facebook page last month |
Filipinos in Hong Kong are mourning the sudden death yesterday of Dr Michael Manio, a lecturer and researcher in medicine at the University of Hong Kong, and friend and health advisor to hundreds of domestic workers in the city.
Doc Mike, as he was fondly called by many in the Filipino
community, was 49.
He was found dead by the police last night at his flat in the
HKU village housing in Wong Chuk Hang. They were alerted by his students when
he failed to show up for their meeting yesterday morning.
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| Basahin ang detalye! |
Police told his students and friends who rushed to his residence after
being told about his demise that no foul play was suspected, and the house was
not in disarray. The exact cause of death will be known after an autopsy.
Colleen Navarro, one of the overseas Filipino workers who closely
worked with Dr Mike in the Domestic Workers Empowerment Program which he
founded, and was among those who rushed to his flat last night, said they did
not know of any ailment Doc Mike was suffering from.
“Ang sinasabi nya lang sa
amin last Saturday, dahil sa vertigo nya kaya di kami natuloy mag bowling,”Navarro
said. (The only thing he told us last Saturday that his vertigo prevented him from
going ahead with the bowling that he organized).
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| Doc Mike posted this photo at the Police Passing-out Parade a day before he died |
Navarro said people who were with him at a police passing-out
parade on Friday noticed that he looked listless and seemed to have lost
weight.
Despite the discomfort, Doc Mike still managed to post various pictures
of the event on Saturday, thanking the HK Police for their invitation.
Yesterday, he managed to make his last post on social media, this
time to congratulate his students who passed the รnatomy Summer Programme 2026.”
Navarro said his students who were supposed to meet with him
Sunday morning got worried because it was unlike Doc Mike not to show up for a
meeting, much less not call or send a message that he could not make it.
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| Doc Mike's last post was about his students completing a course he taught at HKU |
At the same time, Colleen and other DWEP volunteers thought of
asking him to join them for dinner after their class in Lai Chi Kok, but were
surprised that he was not responding to their calls and text messages.
“Naisip namin na baka andun
pa sya sa meeting hall at di pa tapos yung meeting niya sa mga student, yun
pala pati mga student din nagtataka kung bakit hindi siya sumipot.”(We
thought he was still with his students at the meeting hall, it turned out even
his students were wondering why he did not show up).
His students got worried enough that they decided to ask his building management to check the CCTV if he was seen leaving or entering, but there was no footage of him doing either.
The students finally decided to call the police then.
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| Colleen (2nd from right) celebrated her birthday last month with Doc Mike |
Navarro learned about the tragedy when she and her friends attempted
to again call Doc Mike via their chat group. A police officer took their call
and informed them of his death.
Navarro said it pained them to think Doc Mike could have been
saved had he managed to call anyone earlier to ask for help.
But for now, she and all the OFWs who have benefited from Doc Mike’s
expertise that he freely shared through DWEP, his free consultation sessions
and blogs, would always remember him for his humility, kindness, generosity and graciousness
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| Doc Mike was a known health buff and expert on heart diseases |
Doc Mike first arrived in Hong Kong in 2014, as a post-graduate
scholar at HKU, where he eventually finished his PhD in Vascular Pharmacology.
He previously obtained his medical degree from the Angeles University
Foundation and his Master’s in Health Professions Education at the University
of Santo Tomas, both in the Philippines.
Funeral arrangements for Filcom’s beloved Doc Mike will be announced
as soon as they become available.
