The chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations on Wednesday confirmed that he tested positive for Covid 19.
“It is with a heavy heart that I share to all of you that I tested positive for coronavirus,” said Eric Go Yap of ACT-CIS in a statement.
The lawmaker said he had himself tested for Covid last March 15 but the result was released 10 days after.
“Nagpa-test ako noong March 15 at ngayong araw, 10 days after, nakatanggap tayo ng tawag mula sa DOH upang iparating sa akin ang resulta. 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.
On March 21, Yap attended a meeting at the Palace with other government officials including Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, Deputy Speaker Luis Raymund Villafuerte, Senator Bong Go, Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III and Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea.
“I attended the meeting and was careful the whole time knowing na I could potentially be a carrier of the virus,” he said.
On March 25, Yap also attended the special session of the House of Representatives to sponsor the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act.
“Nagpa-test ako dahil na-expose ako sa iba’t ibang tao na may exposure din sa ibang napabalitang nag positive sa coronavirus. Noong March 10, as Chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriations, dininig natin ang panukalang magbibigay ng supplemental budget sa DOH laban sa Covid-19. After that, 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 Covid19,” he said.
“Last Monday, March 23, I attended the Special Session of the House of Representatives and sponsored House Bill 6616. Earlier that day, bago magtungo ng Kongreso, nagtanong ako kung may resulta na ang aking test, pero wala pa rin daw. That was 8 days after my test,” he added.
Yap, meanwhile, asks for forgiveness and understanding from the people he interacted with.
“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.
“Stop going out and stop socializing; ‘lower risk’ does not mean ‘no risk.’ This is a minor setback for me but it will not stop me from fulfilling my duties and responsibilities. Let’s all rise from this together,” he said.