Visayan Electric exec dies of COVID-19

CEBU, Philippines —  The chief executive officer and chairman of Vivant Corporation, Dennis N.A. Garcia, passed away last Saturday from complications related to COVID-19, according to the statement his family released yesterday.

Vivant Corporation and Aboitiz Power are the owners of Visayan Electric.

The statement said that Garcia had prior respiratory health issues, specifically emphysema, before COVID-19 was a known issue.

It said that he was hospitalized last 25 March, where he was tested for COVID-19.  His laboratory results indicating he was positive of COVID-19 was released last Saturday, on the same day that he died at 6:38 p.m.

Following the guidelines of the Department of Health, Garcia was cremated at the earliest available slot, which was the following day at 10 a.m.

The statement added that Vivant is working with the Cebu City Government to track his movements in the last two weeks prior to his hospitalization in order to identify people he was in close contact with for monitoring, quarantine and possible testing.

"We will also make this information available to any other affected LGUs and/or national agencies," the statement read.

Garcia did not have any history of travel outside the country in the last 15 days.

His latest travel was January 24 to 27 in Manila.  GAN (FREEMAN)