Director-turned-Navotas brgy. chief succumbed to COVID-19 -Tiangco

A film and TV director who became barangay chief of North Bay Boulevard South NBBS Kaunlaran in Navotas City has died due to complications from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Mayor Toby Tiangco said Tuesday.

On Facebook, Tiangco mourned the death of barangay captain Toto Natividad, who led efforts in arresting further contagion of the severe viral ailment in Barangay NBBS Kaunlaran.

"Kahit na senior citizen na at bahagi ng bulnerableng sektor na may mas mataas na tyansang mahawa ng COVID-19, hindi nagpapigil si Kap. Toto sa pangunguna sa pag-asikaso at pangangalaga sa kanyang mga kabarangay. Palagi ang kanyang paalala sa kanyang nasasakupan, mapa-personal o sa social media, na mag-ingat para makaiwas sa sakit," Tiangco wrote.

(Despite being a senior citizen belonging to the vulnerable sector, that did not stop Toto. He led the efforts to address the pandemic in his village. He reminded his constituents of the protocols either personally or via social media.)

Tiangco, likewise, sent his condolences to the loved ones of Natividad.

Aside from his stint as barangay captain, Natividad was also heavily involved in the movie industry, having become a director, assistant director, producer, writer, and actor in different local films and television shows.

Movie database IMDB.com showed that Natividad directed movies such  as Hangga't May Hininga (1996), Suspek (1999) and Saka Saka (2013), and Riding in Tandem (2017).

As of Monday, Philippines' total COVID-19 cases hit more than one million, with 914,952 recoveries and 16,853 total fatalities. -MDM, GMA News