MANILA, Philippines--"It seems Rudy's body did not respond well to alternative medicine," Sen. Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr., Rudy Fernandez's close friend, reported on the new drug administered to the ailing actor, who earlier rejected a third cycle of chemotherapy.

Revilla said that Rudy, who is suffering from periampullary cancer, has been under the Rexin-G program (a ?targeted? gene therapy) since February. The cancer affects the area where the ducts from the liver and the pancreas enter the small intestines.

Because the actor had initially felt better with Rexin-G after two rounds of chemotherapy, Rudy?s family had hoped that he would soon be fully recovered.

But attending physicians said the actor?s body rejected the drug, Revilla told the Inquirer in a phone interview on Sunday.

The cancer has metastasized to Rudy?s liver and possibly his lungs, Revilla said. ?This explains why Rudy appears yellowish,? the senator noted. ?But it?s not true that the cancer has reached his brain. He?s in perfect control of his faculties.?

Revilla was in Macau at the time of the interview. ?I visited him yesterday,? he said. ?He was weak, but he seemed to get better after fluid from his stomach and lungs was drained.?

There are still two drain tubes attached to either side of Fernandez?s body, said the senator. ?He?s in great pain. But we, his friends, always tell him that we?re beside him all the way.?

Revilla said he and close friends Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and actor Phillip Salvador try to spend even more time with Rudy these days. ?We call him the neutralizer in our barkada,? said Revilla. ?If not for him, Jinggoy and I might not have become friends again. He?s the peacemaker in the group.?

(E-mail mcruz@inquirer.com.ph.)