Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 23) — Former power industry executive and foreign relations expert Alan Ortiz passed away in France due to the novel coronavirus, his daughter confirmed on Monday.
In a Facebook post, his daughter Monica said Ortiz, 66, passed away early Monday morning in Paris “due to complications from COVID-19.”
Ortiz, current president of the Philippine Council for Foreign Relations, had been invited by the French government to attend a security conference there.
He was former president and chief operating officer of SMC Global Power Holdings Corporation, a subsidiary of San Miguel Corporation. He also held key positions in the government-run National Transmission Corporation and the Energy Development Corporation.
Ortiz is the first Filipino to die of COVID-19 abroad. Latest data from the Department of Foreign Affairs showed 153 confirmed cases involving Filipinos in 23 areas abroad. Of them, 86 have recovered while 66 are still being treated. Bulk of the cases came from the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship in Japan, with only three remaining under treatment.
There are more than 340,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases globally, with over 14,700 deaths. Close to 100,000 patients have recovered, according to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.
