Mely Tagasa reprised her role as Miss Tapia in the 2008 big-screen sequel of 'Iskul Bukol.' Screenshot/OctoArts/M-Zet/APT
Screen veteran Mely Tagasa, best known for her role as the strict teacher Miss Tapia in "Iskul Bukol," has been "weaned off her respirator" after a week in coma, a family member said.
Tagasa's daughter, Gina, gave permission to ABS-CBN News to cite her personal Facebook post, which gives an update on the 82-year-old actress, currently confined at Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan.
"It was a tough and painful decision to make since she has been quite dependent on this machine," Gina wrote Thursday, a week after Tagasa suffered a stroke.
"She is still in comatose stage but displays some pain and discomfort as she slightly jerks and squirms because of the intubation. (Ok, doctors say it's just her 'reflexes'). She now breathes with the help of an oxygen tank. We continue to monitor her condition--her vital signs fluctuate every hour so I can't say everything is OK."
Gina, one of Tagasa's four children, added they now "leave everything to the Lord," noting her mother's birthday 83rd birthday is on April 16.
She wrote: "If He wills her to continue enjoying a quality life at 83, then a miracle is bound to happen. If He decides to take Mommy home with Him, Eternal Life in Heaven awaits. We accept. Our Faith will see us through."
Tagasa's family went on to thank those who have given "love, moral support, and loving thoughts," and asked for continued prayers "for me and my three younger siblings for courage and emotional and physical strength as we fight this painful battle."
"God's plan never fails," she said.
With a 15-year run on television that spawned four films, the sitcom "Iskul Bukol" made Miss Tapia a household name, alongside the main stars of that series -- the trio of Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon.
Tagasa's decades-long career in showbiz also saw her as a radio and television writer, and later on as a producer.