Speaking to entertainment website Push, Puno's partner, Queenie, said the 62-year-old veteran singer was confined at the Makati Medical Center last Thursday.
Puno reportedly experienced difficulty in breathing last Tuesday. After his two scenes for the ABS-CBN sitcom "Home Sweetie Home," Puno also experienced difficulty in ascending the stairs toward the second floor of the studio.
Puno was then brought to the clinic for first aid and told to go home.
On Thursday, Queenie said, Puno agreed to undergo a check-up at the Makati Medical Center, where he was subsequently confined.
The veteran singer was placed in the hospital's intensive care unit (ICU), but remained in high spirits, even sharing stories with his visitors which include his friends from showbiz Richard Merck and Marco Sison.
Puno, who was found to have clogged aorta, was scheduled at 7 a.m. Saturday for angiogram and aorta artery bypass operation, which could last 4 to 5 hours, according to Merck.
"I sincerely ask you to please pray for our dear Rico J. May God bless the hands, minds & eyes of the doctors performing the surgery. All we can do now is pray & wait for the results. God Bless Rico J. And God Bless You All," Merck said in a text message.
In the afternoon, Merck said the angiogram was successful but the bypass surgery was moved to a later date.
"He (Puno) needs to be stronger," he said.
In 2012, Puno almost suffered a heart attack when his blood pressure shot up to 220/180 after his concert with Sison and Hajji Alejandro.
Puno is one of the icons of Original Pilipino Music (OPM). His classic hits include "May Bukas Pa," "Macho Guwapito," and "Sorry Na Pwede Ba."
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
