A young Philippine Army officer dies

FORT BONIFACIO, Metro Manila – On April 8, a young Philippine Army officer from the 7th Infantry Division died from Acute Myocardial Infarction, a medical term of heart attack, with Bronchial Asthma in Acute Exacerbation according to medical records.

On April 7, 2Lt Vince Dela Cruz Magbanua was experiencing difficulty of breathing with dry cough and was taken immediately to Norzagaray Municipal Hospital using a military ambulance. Magbanua was advised by the attending physician to undergo a 14-day quarantine after he was diagnosed with Acute Bronchitis.

On April 8, around 3.45 p.m., Magbanua was rushed to Norzagaray Municipal Hospital due to difficulty of breathing and was declared dead on arrival by the attending physician.

A swab specimen of Magbanua was taken by the Bulacan Provincial Health Office and was further delivered to the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine in Manila, to determine if he is positive or negative of COVID-19 virus.

The remains of 2Lt Vince Magbanua will be cremated today at Bernard De Guzman Funeral and Crematory in Brgy Sta Clara, Sta Maria, Bulacan. 2Lt Vico Magbanua, Vince brother, will represent his family during the cremation rites. 2Lt Magbanua hails from Davao City.

2nd Lt. Vince Magbanua, a graduate of PMA class 2018, was the Platoon Leader/Executive Officer of the Weapons Company of the Headquarters Service Battalion, 48th Infantry Battalion of the 7th Infantry Division based in Doña Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan.

“The Philippine Army is saddened by the demise of 2nd Lieutenant Magbanua who had just started his military career. We will extend necessary assistance to his bereaved family at this difficult time,” said Army Spokesperson Col. Ramon P. Zagala.

“We will take precautionary measures based on the DOH guidelines whether Magbanua acquired the COVID-19 virus or not, and we are currently conducting contact tracing to all personnel which he interacted with, because we want to ensure that everyone in his unit is well taken cared of.” added Zagala.#