Today March 22 is my 10th day in isolation.
For those of you who do not know, yes, I am a Person under Investigation of the coronavirus.
I find this my moral obligation to disclose to the community about my current health situation, especially to the ones with whom I had close contact, so I can also help monitor them, and not to cause undue panic when it’s too late.
As an elected councilor of Dumaguete, I was one of those who attended the national congress of the Philippine Councilors League in Manila.
A week after our departure from Manila, I started having loose bowel movement, fever, and colds from March 5 to 8.
A few days after, news broke out about a fellow councilor in Tayasan who tested positive for CoViD-19 (may his soul rest in peace). The good Councilor from Tayasan was with us on Feb. 27 during a buffet dinner at La Fiesta at the SM Mall of Asia.
This caused concern and panic all over Negros Oriental.
Each of us who attended the congress were called by City Health Officer Dr. Sarah Talla. We were also monitored.
However, because I developed symptoms during the 14-day period, I was considered as a PUI, and was told that I needed to undergo the swab test and to go on a strict self-quarantine at home.
I willingly obliged. I was swabbed on March 14, and along with other PUIs here in Negros Oriental, I am waiting for the results.
I would like the public to know that the alleged “privileged testing” is definitely not happening here in Dumaguete or in Negros Oriental.
[‘Privileged testing’ refers to allegations on the social class divide that gives priority to the rich and famous or to those with the right connections in the use of the scarce CoViD testing kits.]
As a PUI myself, I can attest to the fact that PUIs here in our City simply followed protocol, and did not in any way demand to be tested or get ahead of the others.
Only those with travel history and with symptoms are actually tested.
And there’s no truth to the rumors that politicians are being prioritized for testing, samot na diri sa atong probinsya ug siyudad. If anyone heard of that happening in the Senate, not here in Dumaguete. So please do not generalize.
Atty. Rosel Margarette Q. Erames
Dumaguete City Councilor