Irvine : Group Fights to Honor Dying Man’s Last Wish

An Orange County charity organization and a U.S. congressman are trying to honor a terminally ill Irvine man’s last wish that he be reunited with his son, who lives in the Philippines.

The problem arose when U.S. officials in Manila refused to issue a visa to Ferdinand Ordonaz so that he could visit his father, Monico, 73. Physicians have given the father, a cancer victim, less than two weeks to live, according to a family member.

Hoping to reverse the decision, officials with Quiet Dreams Inc., an Anaheim group that tries to honor the last wishes of dying patients, appealed to U.S. Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove).

Dornan, in turn, asked the White House and State Department to intervene, according to Brian Bennett, Dornan’s chief of staff.

“We think this is a very humanitarian issue, and that the father’s wish should be granted,” said Bennett, who added that Dornan is also trying to arrange free air transportation for the son.

U.S. Customs officials denied the visa because they believed Ordonaz might remain in the United States and not return to the Philippines. Bennett, however, said that was an “arbitrary” decision, explaining that the man has a wife and three children and is not likely to abandon them.