Hope, gratitude as Saudi doctors prepare Filipino conjoined twins for surgery

FE Team | Published: June 17, 2026 22:12:46

Olivia and Gianna Manuel ahead of their separation surgery in Riyadh.

MANILA, June 17 (Arab News): As two-year-old conjoined twins Olivia and Gianna Manuel prepare for separation surgery on Thursday, their parents are filled with hope that it will give them a childhood and life like other children.
Born in Nueva Ecija in the central Philippines in April 2024, the girls are joined from the chest to the abdomen, a condition known as omphalopagus.
They were accepted into the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program in July last year, when their mother reached out to the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre.
In January, after numerous steps of medical qualification, the girls and their parents flew to Riyadh, where they have been under the care of the team of Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, one of the world's most renowned pediatric surgeons.
A day ahead of the life-changing surgery, the girls' mother, Ginalyn Manuel, told Arab News how she was nervous, excited and happy at the same time. "It's a mix of emotions. I'm excited because once they're finally separated, they'll be able to move around freely. They'll be able to run ... They will be able to live a normal life," she said.
"I can hardly sleep, especially now that there's only one day left before the surgery. I'm just so excited ... This has always been our biggest dream for them. I never would have imagined that we'd come all the way here. This is the fulfillment of our dream for our children."
The girls' mother first learned about the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program when she followed social media updates on another pair of Filipino twins to undergo separation surgery in Saudi Arabia.