JV takes over Senate majority role after Villanueva is downed by Covid-19
Senator Joseph Victor "JV" Ejercito temporarily took over Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva's role after the latter got downed by Covid-19.
Villanueva became the ninth senator to be infected by the coronavirus disease as infections continue to rise nationwide.
Villanueva was not physically present but he attended the Senate's Monday, May 22 plenary session through Zoom.
Hit by the Covid-19 virus since the pandemic hit the country in 2020 were Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III and Senators Sherwin Gatchalian, Imee Marcos, Ronald "Bato’’ dela Rosa, Nancy Binay, Cynthia A. Villar and Manuel "Lito" Lapid.
"Can’t believe it that we got Covid-19 for the 3rd time. I started not feeling well last Thursday which initially I thought was just because of my knee injury. I took an antigen test today because I started feeling worse with fever-like symptoms,’’ Villanueva said in his text message to Senate reporters yesterday, May 21.
Villanueva said he isolated himself while he waited for the result of the Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT)-PCR test.
In his message this morning, the Majority Leader notified reporters that he was tested positive.
The test was conducted by the Marilao Medical & Diagnostic Clinic Inc., Joni Villanueva Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Barangay Kulot, Bocaue, Bulacan.