(Eagle News) — Kabayan, Benguet Mayor Faustino Aquisan passed away due to cardiac arrest on Sunday, March 21.
The Public Information Agency in Benguet said Aquisan died past noon at the Notre dame de Chartres Hospital in Baguio City.
He was 61 years old.
He had tested positive for COVID-19.
“Persons who have close contact with the late Mayor from March 6 to 19, 2021 are required to do mandatory home quarantine and wait for the assessment and recommendations of the Contact Tracing Team, Patient Management and Monitoring Team and Diagnostic Team,” PIA-Benguet said.
Benguet Rep. Eric Yap expressed his condolences in a Facebook post.
“I will be forever grateful for the friendship, for the wisdom, for all the stories he shared with me. I have worked with Mayor for at least a year and during those times, I have witnessed his dedication and love for the people of Kabayan,” he said.
The Philippines is at present dealing with a surge in COVID-19 cases, which prompted the government to impose additional restrictions on Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan, and Rizal for two weeks.
The Department of Health has said the increase was due to increased mobility and the failure to follow minimum health protocols, exacerbated by the presence of virus variants.