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COVID-19 infects 19 incumbent, former Philippine gov't execs, kills 2 of them


At least 19 incumbent and former government officials have tested positive for COVID-19, with two of them succumbing to the illness.

Of the 19, three are senators, two are Cabinet members, one is a military officer, another is an ambassador, one is a Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) official, two are former government officials while nine are local government officials.

The senators who tested positive include: Sonny Angara, Juan Miguel Zubiri and Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III.

Angara, who was symptomatic, recovered last April 6. Zubiri and Pimentel are yet to recover as of posting time.

Zubiri initially said he did not show COVID-19 symptoms but later said he had fever which did not linger.

Pimentel, on the other hand, violated quarantine protocols by going to the grocery and accompanying his wife to the hospital even though he was showing symptoms ahead of the release of his COVID-19 test results.

The Cabinet members who tested positive were Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año and Education Secretary Leonor Briones. Both of them are asymptomatic and are yet to recover as of press time.

Armed Forces Chief of Staff Filemon Santos and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority General Manager Jojo Garcia also tested positive for COVID-19 and are yet to recover. Santos is asymptomatic, while Garcia showed symptoms.

Philippine Ambassador to Lebanon Bernardita Catalla, meanwhile, died from complications arising from COVID-19.

Former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong”, Jr. and former Finance Secretary Cesar Virata also tested positive for COVID-19. They are both symptomatic and are yet to recover.

As for local officials who were infected with COVID-19, these include:

  • Jala-Jala, Rizal Vice Mayor Jolet delos Santos
  • Baliuag, Bulacan Mayor Ferdie Estrella 
  • Caba, La Union Mayor Philip Crispino
  • Caba, La Union Councilor Donna Crispino
  • Naic, Cavite Mayor Junio Dualan
  • Rizal Governor Rebecca Ynares
  • Taytay, Rizal Mayor Joric Gacula
  • Bayambang, Pangasinan Mayor Cezar Quiambao and
  • Piat, Cagayan Mayor Carmelo Villacete

Santos tested positive for the virus on March 26 and died several days later. It remains unclear if the other local officials have already recovered.

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