DavSur guv succumbs to Covid-19

DIGOS CITY – Davao del Sur Governor Douglas Ralota Cagas succumbed to coronavirus disease (Covid-19) at about 5:30 Thursday, after days of confinement at the Medical Center of Digos Cooperative Hospital (MCDC).

Dr. Vicente Balazo, a cardiologist and the medical director of MCDC, and one of Cagas’ attending physicians, confirmed his death.

Lawyer Ria Fe Cagas-Fernandez, a niece of the governor, issued an official statement on his official Facebook page (Ria C Fern) announcing the death of her uncle owing to Covid-19 complications.

“Governor Dodo has left many footprints in Davao del Sur that will be remembered for generations, and even more indelible footprints in our hearts,” Fernandez said.

Cagas was rushed to the emergency room of the MCDC on June 3 due to difficulty in breathing due to low oxygen level. He was successfully revived by physicians and his vital signs went back to normal.

Dr. Frimm Sally Cagas-Baña, Fernandez's sister, is constantly updating the status of her uncle through her Facebook page informing that the governor is gaining momentum and on the road to recovery.

She reported that Cagas was doing a video call with his grandchild, and posted some whiteboard writings of the governor written inside his hospital room.

Cagas is known for his favorite quote from the American Quaker missionary Etienne de Grellet, "I shall pass this way but once; any good that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being; let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again."

Cagas is currently serving his second term in office as governor of Davao del Sur.

The family has yet to announce their next plan regarding their patriarch's death. (PNA)