The mayor’s right foot was replaced with a prosthetic, and even in his hospital he wanted to do his work.

"Mayor Vic said he didn’t want the papers to pile up and asked me to bring to the hospital important papers that needed to be signed," the mayor’s chief of staff, LJ Sumulong, said.

"Sabi ko huwag muna niyang isipin ang trabaho at magpahinga muna siya. Pero ganoon naman talaga siya. Laging ang kapakanan ng mga taga Antipolo ang nasa isip at puso niya," the chief of staff said.

The two-hour operation was performed last Feb. 19. After that, he was confined for another two hours in the recovery room.

"I was in the hospital before they wheeled him into the operating room and when they wheeled him out after the operation," said Congressman Robbie Puno. "He was in high spirit after the operation. Gising na gising."

"He told me he was eager to return to work, at trabaho ang agad pinag-usapan namin," Puno said.

Later, Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronnie Puno accompanied Congressman Robbie to visit Sumulong.

"We had a long conversation, and we talked about current events," said Congressman Puno.

"Mayor Vic even asked about Jun Lozada because everybody is interested in him. Then, we talked about constructing a women’s crisis center in Antipolo soon."

"When he came out of the recovery room he asked me to get a Diet Coke for him," said LJ Sumulong.

The mayor’s chief of staff said work in the mayor’s office continues and that nothing has changed. He said he expects the mayor to be back at his desk soon.

Mayor Sumulong had been enduring the pain in his foot for more than a year. But he chose to keep quiet about it, his chief of staff said.

When the pain became unbearable, the mayor and his doctors decided that amputation was the best recourse.

"The foot has been bothering him for more than a year, but having a high threshold of pain he just ignored it," said LJ Sumulong.

"Finally, they just had to perform the procedure. But the doctors are saying the outlook is good and they expect him to be playing golf again in six months."

The mayor said he expects to return to work as soon as possible. Always active and never standing, the mayor does not expect to lessen his workload.

"Very optimistic ang mga doctor ni mayor," said LJ Sumulong. "Sabi nila ang lakas ng loob ni mayor. At malaking bagay ito sa mabilis na paggaling."