Dennis Padilla disclosed that he had to ask money from his friends to help pay for his medical bills after getting hospitalized for COVID-19.
In an interview with Reporter’s Notebook, Dennis recalled his bout with coronavirus in March, saying that he was in a critical condition after he got pneumonia in both of his lungs.
Aside from the health scare, Dennis admitted that he also had financial worries after learning that his medical bills already reached half-a-million pesos on the fifth day of his stay in the hospital.
“Ganun din naman tayo, isang kahig isang tuka. Kapag may show, may pelikula, may pera,” Dennis said as he talked about his decreased income during the pandemic.
“Mauubos ka kasi ‘pag wala kang trabaho, anim na buwan ka pa lang masasaktan ka na dahil papunta ka na ‘dun sa savings mo kasi walang pumapaso. Pero ‘yung level ng pamumuhay mo is the same,” he added.
Dennis’ hospital bill totaled to P1.2 million following his 12-day hospital stay. This prompted him to ask financial assistance from friends in and out of showbiz.
“Hindi ako umutang, hingi talaga kasi hindi ako mapag-promise na mababayaran ko eh. So I said ‘pahingi,’” stated Dennis.
“May mga kaibigan ako, diretso na sa bank account ko pinapadala ‘yung pera. Marami ring tumulong sa akin mga kapwa artista, pero mas maraming tumulong sa akin na non-showbiz.
“Pinoproblema mo na ‘yung sakit mo, tapos financially iisipin mo, so dalawa stress mo,” he added.
Dennis’ hospital bill was also reduced by P250,000 due to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) benefit package for COVID-19 patients.
