(Eagle News)–One of the authors of the House bill giving President Rodrigo Duterte additional powers to address the coronavirus disease 2019 emergency has tested positive for the virus.
Rep. Eric Go Yap, chair of the House committee on appropriations, himself made the announcement in a statement on Wednesday, March 25.
“It is with a heavy heart that I share (with) all of you that I tested positive for coronavirus,” he said.
He said he underwent the test on March 15, after he was exposed to people who had exposure to known COVID-19 cases.
“Inis at galit ang naramdaman ko dahil alam ko sa sarili ko na maaaring nailagay ko sa alanganin ang buhay ng mga taong nakapaligid sa akin,” he said.
He said on March 10, he presided over a House hearing on a measure that would give the Department of Health supplemental budget against COVID-19.
After that, he said “it was business as usual for me but I was careful as always.”
“Since March 10, ilang tao pa ang nakasalamuha ko kabilang na ang ilan na maaaring na-expose sa mga known positive cases of COVID-19,” he said.
He said after his testing, March 21, he was called to a meeting in Malacañang to discuss the steps on how to address the health emergency.
Before he attended, he asked if the results of his test were already available, but to no avail.
“I attended the meeting and was careful the whole time knowing na I could potentially be a carrier of the virus,” he said, adding that he also attended a special session called for by Duterte on Monday, March 23, and sponsored the bill that gave the President additional powers to address the COVID-19 emergency.
This was after he was again told the results of his test were not yet available.
“Humihingi ako ng patawad at pag-unawa mula sa mga taong nakasalamuha ko. I was paranoid dahil may kaunting ubo akong naramdaman but I felt it was normal for me. Mas nag-ingat tayo dahil wala pang resulta ang test ko. Those who know me personally know that I practice good personal hygiene. But it didn’t spare me from this virus,” he said.
He urged people to stay at home and to ensure proper hygiene and the cleanliness of their surroundings.
“Hindi naging sapat na malinis lang ang katawan ko dahil kinailangan kong lumabas at makisalamuha sa tao dahil sa tungkulin ko. Sabi nila, senior citizens are the most at risk. Stop going out and stop socializing; ‘lower risk’ does not mean ‘no risk,'” he said.
