Cayetano goes into self-quarantine

MANILA, Philippines — Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano has placed himself under self-quarantine following a special session attended by a lawmaker who tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

This came after ACT-CIS Rep. Eric Go Yap announced on Wednesday night that he has tested positive for COVID-19.

Both Yap and Cayetano attended the special session held on Monday to tackle and approve the measure granting President Rodrigo Duterte additional powers to combat COVID-19.

“Dun muna sa nagtatanong , opo, naka-self-quarantine po kami ni Congresswoman Lani. Praying na mapagtiyagaan niya ako for 14 days (To those who are asking, yes, Congresswoman Lani Cayetano and I are on self-quarantine. Praying that she can be patient with me for 14 days),” Cayetano said in a Facebook live on Friday.

“Since we were exposed dahil may isang hardworking na kongresista na nag-test positive na nakasama namin… so susunod kami [sa quarantine] (Since we were exposed because we have a hardworking lawmaker who tested positive and we were with him… we will follow the quarantine protocol),” he added.

Cayetano said that even if he is on quarantine, it does not mean that he could not work.

“Totoong naiinip kami at gusto naming lumabas at gusto naming tumulong but our first duty parati is wag makahawa sa iba (We are getting bored and we want to go out and help but our first duty is to make sure that we do not spread the disease to others),” Cayetano said.

In a list sent to reporters, there were 20 lawmakers who attended the special session including Cayetano, Yap, and Majority Leader Martin Romualdez.

Currently, two lawmakers have confirmed that they are positive from COVID-19.

Aside from Yap, Bulacan 4th District Rep. Henry Villarica also tested positive for the disease.