Veteran GMA documentarist Kara David is hoping the death of a tuberculosis patient she featured on i-Witness will push for reforms in the country’s healthcare system.
In a Facebook post filmed in Tondo, Manila, David bid farewell to Luz Clarito Balagtas, the subject of her documentary “Kapit-Hininga.” “Paalam, Luz. Salamat sa mga alaala. Sana maging daan ang iyong kuwento para sa mas maayos na sistema ng kalusugan sa ating bansa,” she wrote, tagging the post with #tuberculosisawareness and #IWitness.
Balagtas was 27 when he died. In an earlier announcement, GMA News reported that David confirmed his passing, describing him in her caption as the man in “Kapit-Hininga” who suffered from tuberculosis and, as she put it, did not receive enough medicine for his illness. David said it was one of the documentaries that left her feeling a mix of anger, sadness, and regret.
According to GMA News, Balagtas’ tuberculosis diagnosis was confirmed in August 2025. As recounted in the documentary and summarized by news outlet radar PH, his treatment was initially expected to last six to seven months but stretched to nine, marked by an inconsistent drug supply, mounting costs, and worsening health.
“Kapit-Hininga” framed the country’s TB problem as one of access rather than the availability of a cure. Per radar PH, while medication is officially free under the government’s National Tuberculosis Control Program, supply shortages often push patients to buy drugs from private pharmacies, adding to their financial strain. The same report noted that cramped, poorly ventilated homes in densely populated areas such as Tondo accelerate transmission.
Citing figures presented in the documentary, radar PH said the Philippines remains among the countries with the highest TB burden, with more than 517,000 cases recorded in 2025 and roughly 20,000 Filipinos dying from the disease each year.
David, a Peabody Award-winning journalist and founder of the Project Malasakit foundation, has long used i-Witness to spotlight Filipinos struggling to access basic services.
