Cadaver was a COVID-19 quarantine facility ‘escapee’

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – A man who was found dead in a seawall at Brgy. Pahanocoy here last Tuesday turned out to be a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patient who allegedly escaped from a school-based quarantine facility in Tangub village here over the weekend.

Police Major Joery Puerto, head of Police Station 8, identified the victim as Tadeo Santia-on, 40, of Bago City, Negros Occidental.

Puerto said he was informed by the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) that a COVID-19 patient escaped from the facility on Oct 30, 2021. But he had no idea how the patient was able to leave the facility.

He said a foreman saw the victim on Oct 31 inside a nipa hut, but when he tried to approach him, the victim ran.

Puerto said the victim’s family identified his remains yesterday, a day after he was found naked and lifeless.

He believed the victim died of drowning.

Despite this, Puerto said there was no threat of infection on the part of the police as they were standing at a distance from the victim’s remains.

“Ang taga funeral ang nagkuha sa body niya, so wala direct exposure ang police ta, he added.