The Philippines’ Youngest Covid-19 Survivor Baby Kobe Passed Away

Lockdown restrictions prevented Manjares from going to the hospital to see his son’s body and comfort Kobe’s mother.

Local officials allowed the couple to hold a two-day wake at their home with neighbors since Kobe's death wasn't attributed to Covid-19.

The baby died before he could be baptized, but a priest who came to celebrate Mass blessed the tiny remains in a white coffin.

A family friend who owns a farm in their home province south of Manila allowed them, as well as his father and siblings, to stay on his property because the Manjares home in nearby Talisay town was heavily damaged during the eruption of Taal volcano in January.

There, Manjares remembers the time he spent with Kobe by viewing some photos of the baby he keeps on his phone.

One is a selfie he took with a sleeping Kobe. Another grabbed from a video call shows his son filling the main screen, Manjares smiling from a small second one in the corner.

“I can’t forget his face,” he said.

Because of her Catholic faith, Noche believes that Kobe is in a better place. The pain of losing a child stays with his mother, who also treasures a few images to keep him in her memory.

“Life would have been happier if baby Kobe was still alive,” she said. “How I wished for him to be with us for a bit longer. (Writers: Kiko Rosari, Joeal Calupitan)

Source: https://apnews.com/08e036b03f6591db8100ce6e1919b720