Jason Leung is likely to recover from a serious head wound he suffered during a hostage-taking in Manila, says a doctor who is caring for him. (Courtesy of Ameen Khwaja)

One of the doctors looking after a Toronto-area teen seriously injured in a hostage-taking on a tour bus in the Philippines says he is optimistic the young man will recover without serious brain damage.

Jason Leung, 18, is in intensive care in a hospital in Manila as he recovers from surgery on a head wound suffered during the 12-hour ordeal.

Dr. Mario Juco, a physician at the Manila Doctors Hospital, said earlier reports that Leung was shot in the head were inaccurate. Instead, the injury might be "more related to the butt or the handle of the gun," Juco said Wednesday.

Nine people were killed after a disgruntled former policeman held 15 tourists hostage on the tour bus in the Philippines capital on Monday. Among the dead were Leung's father Kam Wing (Ken) and sisters Leung Song Yi (Jessie) Leung, 14, and Chung See (Doris) Leung, 21.

Ken Leung was living in Hong Kong with his wife, Amy Ng. She was also on the bus, although she escaped without serious injury.

It is not clear where Jessie Leung lived.

The University of Toronto has confirmed Doris was pursuing an arts degree at the school's Scarborough campus. Doris, who joined the school in 2007, was majoring in environmental studies with a double minor in English literature and human geography.

On Wednesday, the university sent out a news release extending its condolences to her family and friends.

"Over the coming weeks and months, we will be honouring [Doris's] memory in a number of ways," the statement said. "The university flag will be flown at half-mast and there will be a memorial service and book of condolence during orientation festivities in September."

Jason Leung, who was born in Canada, graduated in June from Bronte College, a private boarding school in Mississauga, Ont., just west of Toronto.

Friends said Leung family members had dual Canadian-Chinese citizenship.

Responding to mother

Jason suffered a fracture near the centre of his skull, fragments of which ended up in his brain. There was some tearing to his brain lining, and also some hemorrhaging, Juco said.

"From what the neurosurgeon says, because of what happened they feel that he can recover," Juco said. "But there might be some weakness of the lower extremity or the lower leg.

"As far as speech, consciousness, they feel he will recover."

Jason Leung is waiting to hear if he has been accepted for admission into university this fall. (Courtesy of Ameen Khwaja)

Juco dismissed reports that Leung is in a coma, saying he responds to pain and his vital signs are all stable.

"And according to the latest … the mother who is visiting him quite often, going to the intensive care unit, seems to have noted that when she talks to him, there is a tendency for the eyes to open a little bit," Juco said.

Juco said the next 24 to 48 hours are a particularly critical time in his recovery.

'We all love him'

One of Leung's classmates, Ameen Khwaja, said Leung always put his family first. He said he hopes his friend already knows that his sisters and father are dead.

"Because if he wakes up to find out that his sisters and his father got killed, that's just going to be terrible," he said. "And that could just put him into a worse shock or something. And we really want him back.

"I just wish I could be right next to him, comfort him, urge him to wake up. We all love him, really care for him. It's just frustrating that he's so far away."

Leung was waiting to find out if he was going to be accepted to university, said the CBC's Mellissa Fung, reporting from Mississauga. If he didn't get accepted to the universities he wanted to go attend, she said, he would likely have returned to Bronte College to take additional courses before applying again next year.

Ng has said she will stay in Manila until her son is fit to fly back.

"I thought I would fight for survival so I could take care of my children, but two of them have already died," a sobbing Ng said Tuesday.

The bodies of Leung's family members were flown to Hong Kong earlier Wednesday.