MANILA, Philippines — Interior Secretary Eduardo Año returned to work Friday after a three-month absence to fully recover from COVID-19, his agency’s spokesperson said.
“After more than three months of grueling struggle, including a heart operation, the secretary is well, in high spirits, and ready to reassume his duties in the department as well as in the National Task Force COVID-19 and in the IATF-EID,” Department of the Interior and Local Government spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said.
Malaya said Año would first work from home before returning to his regular work routine.
At the advice of his doctors, Año went on medical leave in January, which was supposed to last only until the end of that month but was extended until April.
Año was the first Cabinet official to get infected with COVID-19 when the pandemic began and battled a second, more serious bout of the disease in August 2020.
DILG Undersecretary Bernardo Florece took the helm of the agency in the absence of Año. — Xave Gregorio