Cabinet exec to go on self-quarantine after US visit

MANILA, Philippines — A Cabinet official who went to the United States recently has offered to go on self-quarantine upon his return as a precaution against the A(H1N1) virus. Presidential adviser on external affairs Edgardo Pamintuan said he and members of his team will quarantine themselves “if necessary" upon their arrival from San Francisco. “The team was in New York, Texas and California, states where N1H1 cases have been reported, including the city of San Diego, which is just a few miles from the US border with Mexico, where the (A-H1N1) outbreak was first reported," said an article posted Saturday on the website of the Philippine Mission to the United Nations (http://www.un.int/philippines/news/20090508.htm). It added that Pamintuan and his team left San Francisco on Philippine Airlines Flight 105 and are expected to arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport early Saturday. The offer came days after boxing icon Emmanuel “Manny" Pacquiao and his team ignored pleas by Philippine health authorities to delay their return as a precaution against A(H1N1). Pacquiao and his entourage arrived early Friday aboard a Philippine Airlines flight from Los Angeles. The team led by Pamintuan and Office of External Affairs Undersecretary Danilo Consumido met with Filipino communities recently to discuss “positive developments" in the Philippines. It met with Filipinos in New Jersey, Maryland and Illinois to discuss the efforts of the Philippine government to cushion the impact of the global economic crisis. During the meetings, Pamintuan presented some P188 billion worth of infrastructure projects that are now being implemented in the LUB “special region" made up of Metro Manila and the provinces of Central and Southern Luzon. Pamintuan said that as soon as health warnings on A(H1N1) were issued, the team restricted its movements and stayed in their hotel rooms most of the time, “venturing out only to meet with members of the Filipino community." - GMANews.TV