Statement of the Garcias of Vivant Corp and Visayan Electric
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Visayan Electric Company has confirmed the death of one of its executives due to complications related to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The company said Dennis N.A. Garcia, the chief executive officer and Chairman of Vivant Corporation, passed away on Saturday evening, March 28, 2020. He was 70.
Vivant Corp. and Aboitiz Power own Visayan Electric, the second largest electric utility in the Philippines servicing the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, Talisay, Naga and the towns of Liloan, Consolacion, Minglanilla and San Fernando.
In a joint statement of the Garcia family of Vivant and Visayan Electric, they said that Garcia was admitted in a private hospital in Cebu City on March 25.
“Positive confirmation of COVID-19 was on Saturday, 28th March, on the same day that he died at 6:38pm,” the statement reads.
“He had prior respiratory health issues, specifically emphysema, before COVID-19 was a known issue,” it added.
Garcia was cremated immediately at 10 a.m. on Sunday, March 29, in line with the protocol of the Department of Health for COVID-19 fatalities.
Vivant assured that they will cooperate with the Cebu City government in the contact tracing in order to identify people Garcia was in close contact with in the past two weeks prior to his hospitalization for monitoring, quarantine and possible testing.
As of this posting, there are now 20 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Cebu City with three deaths. /bmjo