ILOILO – The parish priest of the renowned Sto. Tomas de Villanueva Church in Miag-ao town passed away on Good Friday. He was 66.
Reverend Father Winifredo Losaria died of sepsis, complicated urinary tract infection and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), according to Father Angelo Colada, director of social communications of the Archdiocese of Jaro.
The day of his death was also his 44th sacerdotal anniversary (anniversary of ordination as priest), Colada added.
Early on Holy Week, Losaria was brought to St. Paul’s Hospital Iloilo (SPHI) in the city. He said he was not feeling well.
He underwent reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test and turned out positive once again for COVID-19.
Before his recent hospitalization, it had been over a week since he was discharged from the hospital after recovering from the disease.
“Nag-positive na ina sia (for COVID-19), daw pila na ka weeks ago. That’s why gin-lockdown ang Miag-ao church. So after 14 days niya, gin-repeat test and negative na sia,” Colada told Panay News.
He added: “Gindala sia liwat sa Miag-ao church kag ginsulod sa kwarto kay indi manami iya pamatyag. After pila ka adlaw, ginbalik naman sia sa hospital kag ginpa-swab liwat so nag-positive naman sia.”
Losaria was cremated on Friday evening. His ashes were brought back to Miag-ao on Saturday morning for a solemn ceremony led by Parochial Vicar Reverend Father Jose Maria Enrique Evidente.
The public was also given the chance to see the funerary urn before it would be brought to Lambunao town where Losaria hailed.
Following Losaria’s death, the Rural Health Unit (RHU) of Miag-ao conducted massive contact tracing.
It was found out that he had three close contacts – his caregiver and two companions in the church convent.
Colada clarified that there’s no lockdown in the convent because “naka-isolate naman ang three close contacts.”
Meanwhile, Colada noted that Most Reverend Jose Romeo Lazo has yet to decide who would be the new parish priest of Miag-ao.
As of Saturday, Miag-ao had 225 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 – 11 were active, 211 recovered and three deaths.
Miag-ao was the fourth local government unit here with the most number of coronavirus cases.
It sat under Passi City with 683, followed by Oton (446), and Pavia (388)./PN
