Life Lessons from our favorite Doc Willie Ong

Life Lessons from our favorite Doc Willie Ong

I am reminded of what really matters in life because of former senate aspirant, vlogger, cardiologist, and former vice presidential aspirant Doctor Willie Ong.

Watching his vlogs as he continues his fight against cancer is a wake up call to one’s mortality. Even as he undergoes chemotherapy, he continue to post content. The purpose is to show the world and his followers the effects of cancer – its symptoms and challenges, unfiltered. A blow by blow of what an actual fight against cancer entails.

His wife Liza officially announced his withdrawal from the 2025 senatorial race to focus on his cancer treatments. I think it’s all for the best.

In one of his vlogs, he mentions that part of the reason his health deteriorated is that he was too affected by the comments and criticisms of other people. 

My takeaway from Doc Willie? Enjoy life. Destress more often. People may see you happy outside but will never know your struggles inside. 

Let them say what they want to say about you. In the end, it’s you and your mental health that matters the most.

Nic Gabunada
About the Author
Nic Gabunada Jr.
I’m Nic Gabunada — strategist, media veteran, Mindanaoan. ABS-CBN, Omnicom Philippines CEO, the 2016 campaign. Now leading LouderPH. Read my full story →
SHARE THIS POST
MORE FROM THE JOURNAL

Key Takeways: Content is King, Distribution is Queen, Engagement builds the Kingdom — the architecture of every campaign I’ve run Good content evokes emotion or prompts action; format matters far less than the message Filipino cultural shorthand — hugot, kilig, pride — is what makes

The Democratization of Media in the Philippines: How Social Media Changed Narrative Making Series: Inside the Campaign Eighth of Ten Parts Key Takeaways Before social media, narrative making was controlled by big media companies — we were just the audience Social media made every Filipino