MANILA, Philippines—A junior Army officer who recently died after showing symptoms of COVID-19 tested negative for the virus that causes the disease.
Test results released by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) showed 2Lt Vince Magbanua did not have the virus, according to Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson, in a statement.
Magbanua, according to his medical records, died of acute myocardial infraction, a medical term for heart attack, with “bronchial asthma in acute exacerbation.”
Magbanua, a member of the Philippine Military Academy “Alab Tala” Class of 2018, was rushed to the hospital in Bulacan on Tuesday (April 7) after complaining of difficulty in breathing. He was diagnosed with acute bronchitis.
He was advised to return to barracks and self-isolate. The next day, he was brought to the hospital again after he had difficulty breathing, but he was declared dead on arrival.
READ: Army officer suspected of COVID-19 infection dies
The junior officer’s remains were cremated on Thursday (April 9) before his ashes were flown to his hometown in Davao City.
Magbanua served as the weapons platoon leader of the 48th Infantry Battalion based in Dona Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan.
The unit’s Facebook page showed its members have been involved in relief operations and in enforcing COVID-19 lockdowns around Bulacan and Pampanga provinces in the past few weeks.
“He is looked up to by his superiors, peers and subordinates for his dedication, commitment and idealism,” Arevalo said of Magbanua.