Two more employees of the House of Representatives have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total count to 67 cases.
“Two employees have tested positive for COVID-19,” House Secretary General Jose Luis Montales disclosed, a day after 1-Pacman partylist Rep. Eric Pineda, chairman of the House Committee on Labor and Employment, confirmed that he caught the disease.
The House official said the first infected personnel fell ill after attending to her son whom the House reported earlier as a confirmed case.
The female employee is from the Finance Department and last reported for work on Sept. 1, Montales said.
"The second is from the Committee on Legislative Franchises who last reported for work on Aug. 10,” he said.
On Sept. 5, the House recorded three COVID-19 cases, including Pineda and two employees assigned at the Oversight Committee who last reported for work on Sept. 1 and 2, and from the Information and Communications Technology Service who last reported for work on Aug. 24 and 26.
Pineda is the eight House member reported to have caught the disease, next to Cavite Rep. Luis “Jon Jon” Ferrer IV and Northern Samar Rep. Paul Ruiz Daza.
Last Aug. 10, Senior Citizens partylist Rep. Francisco “Jun” Datol died due to complications brought about by COVID-19.
Other House members who contracted COVID-19 are Deputy Speaker Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, Deputy Speaker Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman, Sulu Rep. Samier Tan, and Bulacan Rep. Henry Villarica.
Of the 67 recorded COVID-19 cases in the House, 13 are active cases.