Philippine Army general succumbs to COVID-19

A Philippine Army general and member of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1989 has perished due to COVID-19, according to his classmate in the academy.

Brigadier General Bagnus Gaerlan, assistant commander of the 1st Infantry Division, succumbed to the virus on Monday morning, according Major General Ernesto Torres, Army chapter president of PMA class 89.

"It is with deep sadness that we would like to inform the friends and relatives of our mistah, BGen Bagnus Gaerlan PMA 89, that he succumbed to the deadly COVID virus early this morning," Torres said in a statement.

According to the Western Mindanao Command, Gaerlan died of acute respiratory failure secondary to COVID pneumonia.

Gaerlan was pronounced dead at  5:19 a.m. by Dr. Anatalio E. Cagampang Jr., the hospital chief of Zamboanga Del Sur Medical Center. He was rushed to the hospital on September 2 after testing positive for COVID-19 via antigen test. He tested positive via RT-PCR on September 3.

Torres said Gaerlan was the fourth member of the class to "drop their working tools" due to COVID-19 after Jun Unson, Danny Olay and Allan Cordova.

"For those who wish to pay their last respects, details of interment will be posted as soon as obtained," Torres said. --KBK, GMA News