BACOLOD City – The village chairman of Barangay Singcang here and his wife tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Rosinie Distrito and his wife immediately went on self-isolation after receiving their reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test in the evening of Aug. 19.
According to Rosinie’s brother, former City Councilor Caesar Distrito, the couple requested for a swab test at the City Health Office on Aug. 15 after showing symptoms of COVID-19.
Caesar disclosed that Rosinie was exposed to a personal friend who was later found to be a COVID-19 carrier.
Also, Rosinie, he said, had close contact to an infected fellow barangay captain.
“Since Day 1, he (Rosinie) was the one leading [barangay officials] in attending locally stranded individuals, persons under monitoring, persons under investigation and even those COVID-19 positives under home quarantine,” said Caesar.
Rosinie is the third barangay captain in this city to contract the viral illness.
The two other village chiefs were Ricky Mijares Sr. of Barangay Banago and Rodolfo Pico Jr. of Barangay Mansilingan.
“It’s not impossible for our barangay officials to be exposed as they attend to thousands of people in their barangays. It is part of the job,” the former councilor stressed.
Rosinie, on the other hand, instructed his barangay officials and staff to conduct contact tracing and disinfection of the barangay hall, which would be closed until the weekend.
In a related development, 10 members of the city government’s Task Force Disiplina (TFD) and three employees assigned at the Public Order and Safety Office were placed under home quarantine.
Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, TFD head, said these personnel were exposed to a 61-year-old TFD member who died on Aug. 16 – three days before he was found positive for the viral illness
The 60-year-old task force member was a job order employee of the city government.
He was found dead inside the bathroom of his house in Barangay Taculing on Aug. 16, according to TFD action officer Wilfredo Geolingo.
Yesterday, Familirian allowed the partial resumption of TFD operation after suspending it for two days pending the RT-PCR result of their member./PN
