- Eddie Garcia is still on life support and remains in critical condition days after his accident
- On June 8, Garcia sustained a neck fracture after tripping and falling down while shooting a TV series for GMA Network
- Jay Sonza became infuriated by the accident and criticized the network
On June 8 Saturday, veteran actor Eddie Garcia sustained a neck fracture after tripping and falling down while shooting a TV series for GMA Network, Rosang Agimat.
He was first taken to the Mary Johnston Hospital in Tondo for treatment before being transferred to the Makati Medical Center on Sunday.
In recent updates, Antonio Rebosa, the medico-legal and spokesman representing Garcia’s family, confirmed that Garcia is still on life support and remains in critical condition days after his accident.
“Right now he remains to be in very critical condition. He’s just being kept alive by medicines, he’s actually on life support because of the fracture he sustained,” Rebosa said in an interview with Rappler.
Initial reports said that the actor suffered from “severe heart attack.” Later on, GMA Network said it was reviewing viral video of the veteran actor supposedly collapsing while shooting his upcoming television series.
“The video of Mr. Eddie Garcia faltering in his steps and eventually collapsing has reached GMA. We are seriously reviewing the said video as well as other videos of the same scene which our cameras also took before we make any conclusions on what really transpired,” GMA Network said in a statement.
Netizens became frustrated with the incident since it could have been easily prevented. They also questioned why there were no medical personnel who were supposed to be on standby.
Some celebrities in the entertainment industry were also saddened by the tragic incident.
Jay Sonza, former station manager of UNTV 37 and former news anchor at GMA, is known for lambasting various personalities. Most people have found his claims credible considering his experience in the field.
In a Facebook post on June 11, Sonza did not hold back in expressing his frustrations in relation to Garcia’s accident. Sonza posted:
“I have questions to GMA Network Incorporated and its production outfit.
“Did you review your video-assist recordings at the time Eddie Garcia was taping?
“Did you not see that he tripped on the cable and tumbled?
“Did you have a standby medical team and ambulance during the taping?
“Who rushed the 90-year-old actor to the nearest medical facilities? Was it your production crew or his fellow cast members?
“Why haven’t you come up with a media release detailing the real score on the incident?
“Why didn’t you correct stories circulating that he had a stroke or a heart attack?
“Haven’t you seen the CCTV footage indicating otherwise?
“Akala ko ba serbisyong (balitang) totoo lamang!”
On June 10, GMA Network said its management is investigating the absence of a medical team during the taping of the show when Garcia had an accident.
“It has been the network’s practice to have medical personnel and ambulance crew on standby whenever the production is executing big action scenes during taping. This has been likewise the practice of other GMA programs. Given this, we are currently investigating the absence of a medical team on the set last Saturday, June 8,” GMA said in a statement.
“GMA Network is deeply saddened with what happened to Mr. Eddie Garcia and the management is committed to getting to the bottom of this unfortunate incident,” the network added.
Although the network continues to receive criticisms from many, it had shown dedication in informing the public with recent updates about Garcia’s condition.
