Villanueva tests positive for COVID-19

MANILA, Philippines — Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva yesterday tested positive for COVID-19, the fifth senator to be infected with the virus since the 19th Congress started on July 25.

The first were Senators Alan Cayetano, Imee Marcos, Cynthia Villar and Grace Poe.

Villanueva informed Senate reporters about the result of his RT-PCR test last night by sending a copy of his medical certificate to the media Viber group.

“I already informed SP (Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri) and my colleagues,” Villanueva said.

On Wednesday, Zubiri announced that Poe tested positive for COVID-19. Poe said she was experiencing mild symptoms, “mostly headaches,” after her antigen test came out positive

On the other hand, Sen. Francis Escudero has been attending sessions online as he said he was exposed to a person with COVID.

The Senate has imposed stricter protocols because of the rising cases of COVID on its premises, banning visitors for the next three weeks and requiring negative antigen or RT-PCR tests for government officials and resource persons required for committee proceedings.