Tolentino apologizes for taking COVID-19 test
Published Mar 23, 2020 12:00 am
By Marjaleen Ramos
Senator Francis Tolentino apologized on Sunday for having himself tested for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Senator Francis "Tol" N. Tolentino
(Senator Francis Tolentino official Facebook page / MANILA BULLETIN) “I apologize if I undertook the same as I was likewise exposed to the persons my colleagues got in contact with during our hearings,” Tolentino said in Facebook post. The senator, however, maintained that he had developed symptoms during self-quarantine so he took the test. “My colds and dry cough persisted during my self-quarantine, thus I took a test, after my cough medication appeared insufficient after four days.” Tolentino had earlier announced that he tested negative for COVID-19. “If I came out positive, I would have posted it as well to inform the people especially those who came in contact with me. My apologies to those offended,” he said. Tolentino also clarified that the test he took was not administered by the Department of Health. Last March 17, Tolentino, along with Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Sens. Pia Cayetano, Panfilo Lacson, Imee Marcos, Grace Poe, Ramon Revilla Jr., was tested by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM). This was after Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri announced that he was COVID-19 positive. The testing was conducted in Sotto's office. On Sunday night, Sotto issued a statement also confirming that he took two COVID-19 testing. The DOH earlier admitted the lack of accredited testing kits and difficulties in testing capabilities of the country's hospitals. Because of this, the agency said that the COVID-19 test could only be administered to patients who have been exhibiting severe symptoms of the disease; and the elderly or those experiencing mild symptoms but have existing medical conditions. Health officials said the arrival of the more than 120,000 test kits from South Korea, Brunei, and China is expected to address this shortage. Last Saturday, the Chinese Embassy turned over to Filipino officials the 100,000 test kits donated by China and other medical supplies. As of Monday, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country has reached 380, with 25 fatalities. (With a report from Vanne Elaine Terrazola)
Senator Francis "Tol" N. Tolentino(Senator Francis Tolentino official Facebook page / MANILA BULLETIN) “I apologize if I undertook the same as I was likewise exposed to the persons my colleagues got in contact with during our hearings,” Tolentino said in Facebook post. The senator, however, maintained that he had developed symptoms during self-quarantine so he took the test. “My colds and dry cough persisted during my self-quarantine, thus I took a test, after my cough medication appeared insufficient after four days.” Tolentino had earlier announced that he tested negative for COVID-19. “If I came out positive, I would have posted it as well to inform the people especially those who came in contact with me. My apologies to those offended,” he said. Tolentino also clarified that the test he took was not administered by the Department of Health. Last March 17, Tolentino, along with Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Sens. Pia Cayetano, Panfilo Lacson, Imee Marcos, Grace Poe, Ramon Revilla Jr., was tested by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM). This was after Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri announced that he was COVID-19 positive. The testing was conducted in Sotto's office. On Sunday night, Sotto issued a statement also confirming that he took two COVID-19 testing. The DOH earlier admitted the lack of accredited testing kits and difficulties in testing capabilities of the country's hospitals. Because of this, the agency said that the COVID-19 test could only be administered to patients who have been exhibiting severe symptoms of the disease; and the elderly or those experiencing mild symptoms but have existing medical conditions. Health officials said the arrival of the more than 120,000 test kits from South Korea, Brunei, and China is expected to address this shortage. Last Saturday, the Chinese Embassy turned over to Filipino officials the 100,000 test kits donated by China and other medical supplies. As of Monday, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country has reached 380, with 25 fatalities. (With a report from Vanne Elaine Terrazola)