IPMR representative Ernesto Salaysay. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
DIGOS CITY—A member of the Digos City Council representing the indigenous tribe succumbed to the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Friday (June 11).
Datu Ernesto Salaysay died at around 7 a.m. on Friday at the Gonzales Hospital and Clinic here, according to his daughter Sheila Mae Landas Salaysay.
His remains were immediately buried by 10 a.m., in keeping with health protocols for disposing of dead bodies of virus-infected persons.
Salaysay was admitted two weeks ago due to severe asthma. When tested, he was found positive for SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Salaysay’s daughter said family members were not allowed to witness the burial of their father. But the hearse carrying his coffin-encased body passed by their house in Goma village on the way to the cemetery.
“It hurts us so much… All we can do is cry our hearts out as the hearse passed by our house. We will miss him throughout our life since he is a good father to us,” Sheila Mae said.
Salaysay is Digos City’s indigenous people’s mandatory representative. Prior to this, he served as an official of Goma village since 1994.