Healing priest Fr. Fernando Suarez
MANILA, Philippines — Controversial healing priest Fr. Fernando Suarez collapsed and died while playing tennis at the Ayala Alabang Clubhouse earlier Tuesday, three days short of his 53rd birthday.
His spokesperson Deedee Siytangco confirmed the priest’s demise in a phone interview shortly after stepping out of Asian Hospital around 4 p.m. She said the cause of his death is not yet known.
Suarez, a known tennis enthusiast, has been holding annual tennis tournaments for priests at the Ayala Alabang Clubhouse for the past several years.
Siytangco said she witnessed Suarez win two sets of tennis singles against two priests earlier Tuesday.
“Today is the first day of the tournament. He played two sets that he both won. In the first two games, he looked okay. On his third set, he just collapsed. (Witnesses) said he was sluggish but still went on and he collapsed,” Siytangco told Inquirer during the phone interview.
“He’s still in the morgue so we don’t know the cause of death. But I think he was already dead when we arrived here (in the Hospital),” she added.
Suarez, known around the country for his healing ministry, was about to revive his healing ministry after being cleared of a sexual harassment charge in January.