Tuba mayor admits she has COVID

April 26, 2021 Provincial

Tuba mayor Clarita Salongan admitted Monday that she is Covid-19 positive.
In a statement released over Facebook, Sal-ongan wrote: “It is with heavy heart that I announce that I tested positive for Covid-19,…” Sal-ongan was swabbed on Friday, April 16, and the result came out Sunday afternoon.
The mayor has been in isolation since last week and with her positive result, she will continue to do so. “I solicit your prayers and hope for a fast recovery,” she added.
The mayor, one of the three who tested positive from the town on Sunday night, urged Tuba folks to observe and practice the minimum health requirement.
The Office of the Municipal mayor was closed on April 19 and 20 for disinfection as leadership is turned over to vice mayor Maria Carantes until the return of Sal-ongan.
She is the second chief executive from the Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba-Tublay area to test positive after mayor Benjamin Magalong and the third Benguet mayor to test positive. Mankayan mayor Frenzel Ayong has admitted positive for Covid this week also.
Last month, Kabayan mayor Faustino Aquisan died, his cause of death was Covid related. On Sunday, the PIO-Benguet reported 63 new cases in the province of which 41 came from La Trinidad, five each from Itogon and Tublay, four from Mankayan, two from Buguias and Kibungan and one from Bakun.
Benguet has 924 active cases and 6,951 confirmed cases, the second most in the region after Baguio. Total Covid-related deaths in Benguet is 143, second also to Baguio which has 175.
The region has logged 390 Covid deaths from the 26,691 confirmed cases.
Pigeon Lobien/ABN