BACOLOD CITY — Local policemen confirmed on Wednesday that an unidentified man found dead in a seawall in Barangay Pahanocoy on Nov. 2, was a COVID-19 patient who reportedly escaped from a school-based quarantine facility in Barangay Tangub over the weekend.
The victim was identified by police as Tadeo Santiaon, 40, of Bago City, Negros Occidental, who worked in a resort here.
Police Maj. Joery Puerto, head of Police Station 8, said Santia-on escaped from the facility on Saturday, Oct. 30, based on the information he received from the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). However, he has no idea how the patient was able to leave the facility.
Puerto said the patient was last seen by a foreman on Oct. 31 inside a nipa hut, but when he tried to approach him, the victim ran.
Two days later, the patient was found naked and lifeless. Puerto believed the victim died of drowning.
Puerto said the victim’s family identified his remains on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Puerto said there’s no threat for COVID-19 infection on policemen, who responded as they were at a distance, adding that personnel from the funeral geared with PPEs took the cadaver of the patient.
He said it’s up to the EOC to do the contact tracing.