THIS ONE'S FOR MAMA: Singer to hold live online gig to raise funds for mom's hospital bills

Because Mother's Day is coming up, singer Miguel "Migs" Ortega thought he'd hold a live online show — to dedicate to his mom, Dina, who has been fighting stage four breast cancer.

"Throughout this, she has remained as positive and bubbly as ever," Migs wrote on Facebook.

But the 24-year-old graduating student rom UP Diliman also needs to raise funds for her hospital bills.

Dina has been confined in the Lung Center of the Philippines for four months now — her second hospital admission, Migs says — and their hospital bills are mounting.

His mom was diagnosed with stage 2 cancer in April 2019 and it quickly spread to her lungs. In December 2019, she was admitted to the hospital and remained there for two weeks only for Migs to bring her back in a month later. 

Because his dad died of cancer 10 years ago, the responsibility rests on the elder of two children. "Meron naman pong investments si mama," Migs tells GMA News Online, but their running balance at the hospital has gone beyond one million pesos.

"Kailangan rin po for her medicines," Migs says.

Thankfully, there are kindhearted people who have been lending Migs a helping hand. Writer Lorelei Aquino, whose youngest child was Migs' schoolmate in Philippine Science Highschool and UP Diliman, created a group chat among parens to help raise funds for Migs.

"We were able to raise a little less than P15,000 that Migs accepted with so much humility and gratitude," Aquino said, adding she reactive the group chat after learning "that his mom's medical condition has deteriorated. My heart bleeds for that boy because I can't imagine any of my own kids suffering that much at such a young age."

The UP engineering department has also issued a callout to help Migs, "and marami na pong nag-donate. So I also wanted to say thank you to those who helped." 

Migs will be playing at least an hour-long set tonight, May 7. The gig starts at 8pm. You can catch his set here. 

— LA, GMA News