Gov. Dennis Pineda and mayors in discussion while waiting to be swab tested last Sunday. FB photo Mayor Gloria Ronquillo
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO –– Gov. Dennis “Delta” Pineda and 12 Pampanga mayors tested negative for SARS-Cov-2, which causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) after they were exposed to the Candaba town mayor who contracted the virus.
Pineda himself confirmed a report by the Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital laboratory here that SARS-Cov 2 was “not detected” in the swabbed samples of the 12 mayors.
The mayors are Danilo Guintu of Masantol, Emmanuel Alejandrino of Arayat, Esmeralda Pineda of Lubao, Gloria Ronquillo of Sto. Tomas, Norberto Gamboa of Sta. Ana, Leonardo Flores of Macabebe, Romulo Pecson of Magalang, Abundio Punsalan of San Simon, Eduardo Datu of Bacolor, Dante Torres of Guagua, Jing Capil of Porac, and Jay Sagum of San Luis.
Also found negative of the coronavirus disease were provincial board member Anthony Joseph Torres and provincial disaster risk reduction and management council executive officer Angie Blanco who were with the governor and the mayors in the meeting where they all got exposed to Candaba Mayor Rene Maglanque.
The laboratory used the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique.
The test results of three other mayors present in the meeting are being awaited.
The mayors were swab tested on Sunday at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center here.
Pineda on Monday said he requested the mayors to take the tests and go into isolation until the test results are released to avoid transmitting the virus.
Meeting
The mayors, along with the governor, were with Candaba Mayor Rene Maglanque in a meeting of the Pampanga Mayors League with officials of the Department of Education on July 13, with preparation of the LGUs for the opening of classes as main agenda.
Maglanque on Sunday posted in his Facebook page that results of the RT-PCR test he underwent on July 16 showed him positive of Covid-19. He recalled that he experienced fever, cough, and loose bowel movement after the PML meeting but managed to travel to Metro Manila on July 15 and return to Pampanga on the same day.
In the meeting, the mayors and resource persons wore face masks and observed social distancing protocols, seated at least a meter apart.
Pineda sat at the head table between PML president Minalin Mayor Edgar Flores and Angeles City Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin Jr.
Maglanque sat between Macabebe Mayor Leonardo Flores and Magalang Mayor Romulo Pecson.
Maglanque said he left the meeting after it was adjourned. He said he might have been exposed to the virus through a worker in his farm.
Lazatin said he did not have himself tested because he only talked briefly with Pineda and did not mingle with Maglanque during the meeting.
The mayors of Apalit, Mexico, and Floridablanca towns and the cities of Mabalacat and San Fernando were either absent or represented in the PML meeting.
On Monday, several mayors posted on social media their advisories about their absence from work and quarantine.
The governor said he was also in isolation.
