22 soldiers test positive for coronavirus

MANILA, Philippines — Twenty-two soldiers have been diagnosed with coronavirus disease, the military said Monday.

Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Brig. Gen. Edgardo Arevalo said out of 33 confirmed coronavirus cases in the military, civilian personnel and dependents, 22 were soldiers on active duty.

Meanwhile, there were 111 soldiers and 4 dependents recorded with probable cases, while 141 soldiers and 21 dependents were considered suspected cases.

At the AFP Medical Center in Quezon City, there were 20 soldiers who were confined and have later recovered, Arevalo said, as he revealed the official military data on coronavirus cases for the first time.

“We’re giving these figures out just to establish the point na ang inyo pong mga sundalo, na sa kabila ng kinakaharap na paglaban, may namamatay sa ating hanay na mga bayani sa pakikipaglaban sa Abu Sayyaf, sa mga New People’s Army. Meron pa tayong pinaglalabanan, ito po yung COVID-19,” he said in an online news conference Tapatan.

(We’re giving this figure out to establish the point that your soldiers while risking their lives to fight the Abu Sayyaf and New People’s Army, are also battling against COVID-19.)

He admitted that they were initially hesitant to release the military figures on coronavirus cases because they did not want to give the impression to the public that the soldiers who are supposed to protect them were already down with the virus.

Fourteen soldiers have lost their lives in separate encounters in Sulu and Negros Oriental in recent days as the government continues to pursue the New People’s Army and Abu Sayyaf.

But as the military maintains to carry out its task in fighting terrorists and rebels, soldiers have also been battling against coronavirus disease, an invisible enemy.

Like health care workers and essential workers, soldiers are vulnerable to the virus because they play a frontline role in the government’s response against the pandemic.

They have been deployed across the country since last month to assist the police in enforcing the enhanced community quarantine. Its newly-added task is to take charge of the major quarantine facilities set up by the government.

The military has also been actively using its assets like planes, trucks, and ships, to transport people, medical supplies and relief goods.

The defense and military leadership were not spared from the virus. AFP chief Gen. Felimon Santos Jr. earlier tested positive for the virus but has already recovered.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and the commanders of Army, Air Force and Navy — Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay, Lt. Gen. Allen Paredes, Vice Adm. Giovanni Carlo Bacordo—also placed themselves on quarantine at one point, after being exposed to virus carriers.

Arevalo called on the public to cooperate with the government’s efforts to slow down the rapid spread of the disease.

“Kaya po ang sabi natin, makipag tulungan po tayo. Ang inyong mga sundalo hindi po yan super people, normal din po yan na ang hangarin lamang ay makatulong para malupig ang COVID-19,” he said.

(That’s why we’re saying, let’s help each other. Your soldiers are not super people, they are normal people too, who want to help in defeating COVID-19.)