LUNA, Apayao—The Provincial Government of Apayao (PGA) expressed grief for the passing of its Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Thelma Villareal-Dangao on November 5, 2016 at Philippine Heart Center.
` Dr. Dangao who was confined at the Philippine Heart Center for a month succumbed to coronary heart disease and kidney failure. She is only 55.
A lot of employees of the PGA were surprised with the untimely death of Dr. Dangao who is a humble and down to earth department head in which some of her staff called her Nanay Thelma.
According to her staff, she is intelligent, industrious and most of all so committed to perform her duties. “You can’t hear her complain but rather, she keep on saying, ‘ok lang ako’ where in fact she is not ok,” Ms. Charlyn Tagabing, a Senior Health Program Officer of the Department of Health Cordillera said to her mentor.
In a mass held at the lobby of the Apayao Provincial Capitol on November 9, 2016, Provincial Administrator Vincent Talattag extended his deepest sympathy to the bereaved family acknowledging the valuable contributions of the Dr. Dangao in the Province.
Dr. Dangao has been the Provincial Health Officer II of Apayao since November 1, 2000. She held the position of Municipal Health Officer of Kabugao District Hospital in Kabugao, Apayao from January 1, 1994 until she was promoted as PHO II.
Being a doctor, she has outstanding work achievements besides her superb educational background. She is a consistent honor student in elementary and graduated as valedictorian in High School. She was a College Scholar (BS Zoology) at the University of the Philippines in Diliman. She pursued her medicine at Emilio Aguinaldo College of Medicine and immediately passed her board exam in 1987 with an average of 80.25%.
Considering that she is from Manila and was raised there, her compassion to help the sick and poor is unquestionable. She chose to work and/or be assigned in Kabugao, Apayao after passing her board exam where in there, she found her better half. In 1996, she was awarded the
Most Outstanding Municipal Health Officer in Cordillera.
Dr. Dangao is survived by her husband, Brgy. Captain Crisostomo and her son, Tom Alstaire Dangao. The body of Dr. Dangao is brought at Poblacion, Kabugao, Apayao where she will finally be laid to rest.
By GERRIAHZON S. SEBASTIAN