Joe Dungog, Lapu-Lapu City councilor, passes on at 63

Lapu-Lapu City Councilor Joe Dungog has passed away due to liver cancer. | Contributed photo

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Philippines — Incumbent Lapu-Lapu City Councilor Jose “Joe” Dungog passed away this morning due to liver cancer, at his residence in Barangay Gun-ob.

This was confirmed by his wife, Angeline Dungog. The councilor was 63 years old.

Angelina said that her husband was first diagnosed with liver cancer in December 2020.

Aside from this, Dungog was earlier admitted to a hospital due to a lung illness.

“Mao to pagkuan na gid gahapon. Dili na gyud seguro to maagwanta niya. Naa man koy anak nga nurse mao nalay ga-dextrose niya dayon pagkuhuman gi-injekan pod siya ug pain reliever sa IV. Unya kanang mao to murag naglisod gyud siya hangtod pag-12:30 (a.m.) wala na gyud. Ingon siya nga surrender nako,” Angelina said.

(He passed away yesterday. Perhaps, he could not endure the pain anymore. We have a child, who is a nurse, and she was just the one to put a dextrose on him and injected pain reliever on the IV. He was really in pain until at 12:30 a.m. he passed away. He said that he would surrender.) 

She said that after her husband was diagnosed with liver cancer, he already refused to be admitted to a hospital.

The wife even said that her husband’s physician already told her that the councilor might only live for another three to six months after he was diagnosed with the disease.

“Pero kanang niingon na gyud ang doktor nga murag naa na siyay taning nga 3 to 6 months. Pero wala gyud ko miingon niya nga ingon ana kay mura man gud siyag dili kadawat,” She added.

(When the doctor said that he had only from 3 to 6 months to live, I did not tell him that because he could not accept that.)

Dungog is a first termer councilor in the City of Lapu-lapu.

He also became a village chief in Barangay Gun-ob for 12 years, and a one-termer barangay councilor before he was elected as a city councilor.

Lapu-Lapu City lone district Representative Paz Radaza also extended her condolences to the family of Dungog.

Dungog was an ally of the Radaza’s in the last 2019 elections.

“Sa imong pagtaliwan, magpabilin nga makat-on kami sa imong mga legasiya ug padayon nga ana-a kanamo ang init sa imong hugpong,” Radaza said.

(With your passing, we remain to learn about your legacy and your continuing group’s continuing support.

Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan also extended his sympathy to the bereaved family of Dungog.

In his Facebook post, Chan said that Dungog was his colleague in the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) in 2016 when he was still the village chief of Barangay Pajo.

“Siguro ako nga nagbangutan karon ang tibuok Lapu-Lapu sa maong panghitabo hilabi na sa iyang pamilya nga maglisod gihapon sa pagdawat sa iyang sayong pagbiya. Inubanan sa akong pamilya, miduyog ako sa kasubo nga gibati sa tanan kansang kinabuhi nahikap sa kaayo ni Konsehal Joe Dungog,” Chan’s post read.

(I am sure that the whole of Lapu-Lapu is grieving especially the family who still find it difficult to accept his passing. Together with my family, we sympathize and grieve for his passing especially those, whose lives have been touched by the late Councilor Joe Dungog.)

The family of Dungog plans to hold his wake at St. Peter Memorial Chapel in Mandaue City for the first three days, before he will be transferred to his residence in Barangay Gun-ob in Lapu-Lapu City.

/dbs