BATANGAS CITY— A 27-year-old former beauty queen died three days after undergoing a sinus surgery in a private hospital in Batangas, it was reported Tuesday.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Region 4 was asked to investigate the death of Mary Grace Villanueva, who was crowned Miss Calaca in 2007 and served as Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) chairman in Barangay Lumbang na Matanda, Calaca town.
Dr. Antonio Vertido, NBI senior medico-legal officer, said an autopsy examination will be conducted on the body of Mary Grace upon the request of her family who went to their office here, Monday.
“Nag-request sila for autopsy. The next thing that we should do, i-schedule natin (autopsy) kasi hindi basta kaso ito, kailangan ko pa rin ‘yung medical abstract. Once na makakuha ako ng mga tissues papa-examine sa laboratory namin for histopath exam,” he said.
Villanueva’s siblings are seeking justice for her death which they believe was a result of medical malpractice.
Her sister, Myrasol Villanueva, 33, said the victim was admitted last January 11 and scheduled to undergo sinus surgery the next day.
She said the victim, accompanied by their aged mother, personally prepared the papers and everything needed for her operation.
“Nakapag-selfie pa nga siya nung gabi bago siya inoperahan, ipinadala n’ya sa amin. Ang lakas lakas pa niya noon”. Myrasol said.
Villanueva’s cousin, Babylyn Catibog, 26, said when she visited Mary Grace on January 14, the victim was complaining of too much pain on her throat.
“Nung tiningnan ko po paga ‘yung tonsil n’ya tapos parang maitim; sabi n’ya picturan ko daw para makita niya,” Catibog said.
She added the victim’s face was bloated. She experienced difficulty in breathing and her body was failing.
The victim underwent blood transfusion, but she still became weak until she was transferred from her room to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where she died on January 15.
According to her death certificate, Mary Grace died due to cardiac arrest, acute respiratory distress syndrome and maxillary mucocele.
Myrasol said the victim, the youngest among them, was kind, friendly, and had dreamt to be a flight attendant. She survived a five-year-old son.
Mary Grace worked as a front desk analyst in a BPO company in Metro Manila before she died. (Lyka Manalo)
