Partylist Rep. Yap is negative for COVID-19, clarifies RITM; apologizes to lawmaker for “encoding error”

ACTS-CIS partylist Rep. Eric Yap poses for a picture with some Philippine officials in the meeting in Malacanang on Saturday, March 21. With him in the photo are Rep. Luis Raymond Villafuerte, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go and House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano. (Photo from Facebook page of Rep. Eric Yap)

 

(Eagle News) – ACTS-CIS Partylist Rep. Eric Yap had tested negative for COVID-19, the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine clarified Friday night, March 27, as it apologized for the “encoding error” done by an augmentation staff.

“We wish to publicly apologize to Hon. Erick Go Yap of ACTS-CIS Partylist for forwarding a report of his COVID-19 results that displayed a clerical oversight,” a statement from the RITM said.

RITM said that this was an isolated incident “brought about by an encoding error.”

The error was just “discovered late last night by the Molecular Biology Laboratory” of the RITM.

“Again, we profusely and sincerely apologize to Hon. Erick Go Yap for the unnecessary discomfort this incident has caused,” the RITM statement said.

It said that the individual responsible for the error was enlisted as an augmentation staff from outside the laboratory’s regular workforce.

“Said employee is already being dealt with administratively,” it said.

RITM said that it added “another layer of verification for all succeeding reports we will submit.”

“We promise that this, and other associated incidents, will never happen again,” it added.

 

Statement from the Department of Health-Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (DOH-RITM) clarifying that ACTS-CIS Partylist Rep. had tested negative for COVID-19. (Courtesy RITM)

The lawmaker who was one of the sponsors of the House bill on the “Balikatan To Heal as One Act” had earlier told the public that he was positive for COVID-19 upon receiving the earlier RITM results.

He had apologized to all those whom he had recently interacted with, among them lawmakers and cabinet men of President Rodrigo Duterte.

He had a meeting in Malacanang on Saturday, March 21.  Because of the incident, the Presidential Security Guard had implemented a lockdown for all PSG personnel who would then undergo self-quarantine starting Saturday, March 28.

Other lawmakers and even Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, as well as several cabinet men who had recent interaction with Yap also decided to undergo self-quarantine because of Yap’s announcement which was based on RITM’s earlier erroneous report on his condition.