Cork man says he is being blocked from leaving Philippines to access vital cancer treatment at home

Irish Independent

a day ago

73-year-old John O'Neill, originally from Gerald Griffin Street in Blackpool, says that he was denied leave from the Philippines earlier this year, having been told to return home for treatment of prostate cancer, which the Cork native says is killing him.
Mr O'Neill says he was told by authorities at the airport that he owed 'immigration fees', which he disputes, and is now in limbo as the case gets resolved while he is dying from cancer.
'I came here to the Philippines in 2013 to open my charity 'Rice for Life', to feed women and children in awful poverty,' John explains, who lives in Dumaguete, on the southern tip of Negros Island with his wife Frizell and son Clovesky.
However, John said the work he was doing wasn't appreciated by everyone, and that he had received death threats on multiple occasions by radical groups, in an area in which he says is dangerous to be a foreigner.
'Two weeks before COVID, I had decided to go back home to live the rest of my life out there, but when that kicked off, I was stuck in the Philippines for five years,' John said, adding that for weeks he was forced to stay at home, while his Filipino partner was allowed out to do the family's weekly shop.
After restrictions were lifted, John went back to his charity work until a crushing diagnosis of Prostate Cancer in March of last year turned his life on its head.
'I was in the hospital here for 12 days, but they told me they couldn't do any more for me,' John explains from his bed, as the country enters its rainy season. 'I tried two hospitals in Cebu, and was told by one Chinese surgeon they did not have the technology to treat me here like they could in my own country.
'He said, 'I think Cork can guarantee you 15 years of life, would you be happy about that?'.
'I saved a few bob to fly back to Cork, and I had organised for my records to be sent over and to get treatment in a Cork hospital. I booked the flight with my 9-year-old son, from Cebu to the capital Manila, then onwards to Cork via China and London.
'We had no problem on the first flight, but when we got to the queue to give our passports and flight ticket, we were refused permission to fly.
'They said I may owe them immigration fees, which I totally disagreed with, and they told me that it would take 6 months to sort out.
'I won't live that long without treatment, and I told the supervisor that they were abusing my human rights, however, he just said, 'Sorry Sir, these are the laws of our country.''
John says that in the time since, he cannot get a clear answer from the government on how much exactly he owes the Filipino government, who say the fees relate to COVID-related costs. John claims that he has paid the requisite fees, but claims the goalposts have been changed by the government.
In limbo, Mr O'Neill says he can't get an answer to exactly what he owes until the six-month review of his case is concluded, which the Cork native says was confirmed by two separate lawyers.
In the nine weeks since, John said he has contacted local TDs and the Irish embassy in a bid to get some help in trying to waive the substantial fees and finally board a flight that may save his life. However, the Cork native is still in limbo, and says he is getting weaker every day that passes without treatment.
An old Irish friend, Waterford-based writer and musician Billy Costine, has started a GoFundMe for the 73-year-old, which he's hoping will cover the cost of whatever amount the 'immigration fee' bill that will arrive at the Cork native's door.
Billy said he's left 'angry' by what he's called a 'corrupt' government decision, and that if something isn't done shortly, his friend John will be 'coming home in a box'.
'I'm not a great believer in religion, but I would be totally lifted if I could come home,' an emotional John says.
'Even though I am not frightened of death, because every single one of us has to die – from mouse to man – you start counting on our figures and thinking about what it means.
'Going down to Crosshaven, heading out fishing, it makes you think totally differently.
'If I die, I want it to be under an Irish blue sky,'