Palace to make public Duterte's COVID-19 test results
Published Mar 12, 2020 12:00 am
By Argyll Cyrus Geducos
Malacañang assured the public that the test result of President Duterte for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) will be made public.
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo
(OPS / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said the President and his long-time aide Senator Bong Go will undergo testing on Thursday to ensure they are fit to perform their duties. Panelo said the public can expect to see the President’s test result. He said health officials deemed it was best for the President to undergo testing since he regularly engages with his Cabinet members. Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade and Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez are under self-quarantine after revealing that they have been in contact with someone infected with the virus. "We feel, or the officials feel that he needs to undergo a test. But wala naman siyang (he's not showing) symptoms, definitely. Kumbaga, this is a preemptive step to be sure that he's fit and healthy to perform his work as a government worker," he said. Panelo said there was no need for him to undergo testing for COVID-19 nor go into quarantine since he was not in contact with patients who tested positive for the viral disease. "Wala naman dahil wala naman sa mga nakahalubilo ko walang history kagaya nung tatlo (There's no need to do that because none of the people I interacted with had a history like those three)," he said, referring to Tugade, Dominguez, and Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado. The Palace official said that his office in Malacañang was disinfected already. The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday declared the COVID-19 a pandemic, saying it was now a crisis that will touch every sector. The WHO pointed out that there are already 118,000 cases of the disease in over 118 countries. Read more: Palace: Duterte advised to test for COVID-19, Duterte undergoes today COVID-19 test
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo(OPS / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said the President and his long-time aide Senator Bong Go will undergo testing on Thursday to ensure they are fit to perform their duties. Panelo said the public can expect to see the President’s test result. He said health officials deemed it was best for the President to undergo testing since he regularly engages with his Cabinet members. Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade and Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez are under self-quarantine after revealing that they have been in contact with someone infected with the virus. "We feel, or the officials feel that he needs to undergo a test. But wala naman siyang (he's not showing) symptoms, definitely. Kumbaga, this is a preemptive step to be sure that he's fit and healthy to perform his work as a government worker," he said. Panelo said there was no need for him to undergo testing for COVID-19 nor go into quarantine since he was not in contact with patients who tested positive for the viral disease. "Wala naman dahil wala naman sa mga nakahalubilo ko walang history kagaya nung tatlo (There's no need to do that because none of the people I interacted with had a history like those three)," he said, referring to Tugade, Dominguez, and Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado. The Palace official said that his office in Malacañang was disinfected already. The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday declared the COVID-19 a pandemic, saying it was now a crisis that will touch every sector. The WHO pointed out that there are already 118,000 cases of the disease in over 118 countries. Read more: Palace: Duterte advised to test for COVID-19, Duterte undergoes today COVID-19 test