Dr. Iggy Agbayani, founding President of CDCPH Has Died on 5th October 2023.

I join his family, my friends, the Philippines and all who fight for science, justice, and right in mourning this terrible loss!

CDCPH Statement, Oct 5, 2023, issued by Mari Kaimo

The Concerned Doctors and Citizens of the Philippines (CDC Ph) regrets to announce the passing of our beloved brother-in-arms and first President, Benigno “Doc Iggy" Agbayani, Jr. Iggy Agbayani. Doc Iggy Agbayani Doc Iggy passed after he suffered a heart attack while confined at the Manila City Jail.

For those who may not be aware, Doc Iggy was at the forefront of CDC Ph's earliest attempts to bring to the attention of the government and the public life-saving early treatment medications and protocols which were not just safe and affordable, but which would also save the national economy from the destructive impact of the lockdowns.

Very few know that Doc Iggy opted to step down from the presidency of CDC Ph when an old malpractice suit filed against him that had been in the court system for years was suddenly resurrected. This was not long after he began to speak up for the millions of us Filipinos who could not understand why we were being forced to give up our Constitutional rights and liberties, adopt unscientific medical protocols and ingest insufficiently-tested medicines for what has now been proven to be a highly suspect and extremely politicized virus.

Sadly, not only was the old case made to suddenly move forward at record speed, but it also resulted in his conviction despite all indications of his innocence. Because he knew he had done no wrong, Doc Iggy refused to seek a pardon or apply for parole as it would be interpreted as accepting that his conviction and sentence were either fair or just. They were neither.

Today, just 10 days before a medical mission Doc Iggy had planned for the prison together with CDC Ph doctors, and just 40 days before his scheduled early release for Good Conduct on Nov 15, our beloved Doc was reported to have suffered a massive heart attack. He did not survive.

Today, the Philippines lost a true hero of the medical profession.

A man of science who refused to toe the Big Pharma line or sell his integrity for 30 filthy pieces of silver.

A man who was unafraid to face off against the powers-that-be literally for the lives of the millions who could not fight for themselves.

A man of medicine who, to the very end and at tremendous cost to himself and his family, kept his oath to "First do no harm."

It has been an honor and a privilege for the Concerned Doctors and Citizens of the Philippines to stand with Doc Iggy over the three short years we were blessed to spend with him. His courage and fortitude will always serve to keep alive the flame that he helped light within every one of us.

Maraming, maraming salamat, Doc Iggy Agbayani! Love you, Doc!

Personal Footnote

I have personally known Dr. Iggy for many years, first having met him over our mutual passion for managing health conditions through nutrition, both of us educating others on the benefits of low carb nutrition and fasting for health and management of health conditions. Here he is giving an interview on this in 2020. An article he wrote in 2020, shared below¹.

He invited me to become active in CDCPH in 2021, and to make any contribution that I could to the now broad community which is questioning pandemic measures and responses and working to educate and empower people living in the Philippines.

We are more than gutted! Condolences to his family! The Philippines has lost a hero, a truly good man. Doc Iggy, I promise to carry on your work! I will not forget! We will not forget!

1. January 22, 2020: Shared with me by Doc Iggy.

Here is the full and better edited version I think of the article I wrote published in Manila Bulletin yesterday.

My Fasting Experience, Dr. Iggy Agbayani.

Fasting is the willing abstinence of avoiding eating and/or drinking. It is popularly known as IF or intermittent fasting and OMAD or one meal a day eating. It does not necessarily or always mean starvation, hunger or lowering the calories eaten and there are various and many types of fasting methods around.

Interest in fasting as a weight loss tool has steadily been growing since 2013 based on Google search statistics. In 2016 Professor Yoshinori Ohsumi won the Nobel prize in Physiology for his Research on autophagy, a self-healing response of yeast cells to starvation or stress. The same year Dr. Jason Fung published his book the Obesity Code: Unlocking the secretly of weight loss, a book promoting fasting and how it can be used to control insulin and growth hormones to lose weight. These two events in my opinion are the crucial factors that pushed its popularity.

My personal interest on weight loss and fitness began some thirty years ago as a brand new medical doctor because of my own weight problems. I was intent on learning and trying out any method that could scientifically work to help me lose weight and be more fit. I tried various forms of exercise and sports, tried frequent but small feeding, tried food restrictions, calorie counting and water therapy. You name it, I probably tried it and failed just like a classic yoyo.

Fast forward to October of 2018, I was 53 years old, at my heaviest at 250 pounds, feeling uglier, had fatty liver, had hypertension and already a pre-diabetic. As an Orthopedic surgeon and joint specialist, it was ironic that I was feeling worsening knee and shoulder joint pains making it difficult to exercise and do long surgeries. My doctor friends and colleagues simply advised me to lose weight and exercise more.

I initially had success with the low carbohydrates/no sugar diet however it was unsustanaible even with cheat days because it made me feel hungrier and thought more about food. I realized most of us are addicted to carbs/sugars and are constantly and increasingly surrounded by them. So one day while browsing on YouTube looking for a diet for diabetics, I came across the topic of fasting and these were the facts I learned that day. The longest recorded fasting period under medical supervision is 382 days by a Scottsman named Angus Barbieri and he lost 276 pounds. Most of the major Religions like, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Bhuddism all advocate regular fasting as a means to meditate, achieve enlightenment and cleanse the soul. Worth mentioning that Zoroastranism may be the only exception.

There are already thousands of cases of obesity and diabetes being successfully reversed through fasting under the supervision of Dr. Jason Fung, a Canadian Nephrologist who gained world wide recognition because of his work. These facts alone made me try fasting immediately for 48 hours straight, something I wouldn’t recommend for everyone. Half expectedly it caused me some painful early morning leg cramps and left me feeling very weak near the end of it. However what surprised me the most was the energy and mental sharpness in the days that followed the fasting. In those two days I read constantly on fasting to keep me motivated and for the next six months I was reading on the topic almost daily. Almost every week since then I was doing three days of intermittent fasting paired with normal calorie but low carb diet.

My patients, friends and family began to notice and I lost 20 pounds in just two months. That period of constant research and relearning also lead me to other trustworthy Scientists and Doctors through the internet who have rediscovered the benefits of diet modification as a means not just for weight loss but also for curing disease like Ivor Cummins, Tim Noakes, Robert Lustig, Aseem Malhotra, Ken Berry and Eric Westman. My blood presure became almost normal, blood sugar is back to normal, no more fatty liver, no more joint pains and I was feeling great and energetic. Another happy and significant change was the mental sharpness I get during my clinic and surgery and even though I was in the fasted state I recorded my fastest arthroscopic ACL reconstruction surgery without even trying. This was also the period where I made a major turn around in the way I treat and manage my patients. I started to be totally root cause oriented instead of focusing on the symptoms of the disease. It was no longer enough to control pain caused arthritis or tendinitis, but explore and identify the cause of the disease itself. I began to offer dietary modification in more than half of my patients and these were mostly patients with diabetes and chronic or recurring joint, muscle or tendon pain.

Today there are a handful of Filipino Doctors I know who have made the leap and do extensive and critical minded research into fasting. Only recently are the mainstream Scientific and Medical Journals publishing the accumulating evidence of how fasting helps us humans(not just rats) lose weight, prevent diabetes and heart disease, fight cancer and perhaps regenerate our immune system and perhaps our brain function.

Fasting is not just a fad. It is a great tool for attaining optimal health and reversing many chronic diseases. Any danger perhaps caused by fasting can be prevented by gradually getting into it, learning from well informed people who had experience and knowledge with nutrition and fasting, doing your own reading/research about it and to seek medical advice from doctors who have knowledge of fasting and your health status. - Dr. Benigno Agbayani Jr., Orthopedic Surgeon at Manila Doctors Hospital