3 police generals positive for COVID-19

MANILA, Philippines — Three police generals have contracted coronavirus disease 2019, prompting targeted testing for Philippine National Police officers to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the PNP, an official said yesterday.

Firearms and Explosives director Brig. Gen. Rommil Mitra, newly designated Zamboanga peninsula police director Brig. Gen. Ronaldo Ylagan and retiring Brig. Gen. Joey Runes from the office of the PNP chief have tested positive for COVID-19.

“That’s why they were not able to attend the recent command conference because they tested positive for the virus. It’s good because, at least, we had an early detection,” PNP chief Gen. Debold Sinas told reporters.

The PNP Health Service will conduct targeted, group swab testing at Camp Crame for a more effective virus detection measure, Sinas said.

The three police generals were among the 370 active COVID-19 cases in the PNP as of Sunday.

The PNP has recorded 8,103 cases of COVID-19, including 31 new infections mostly from regional police offices across the country.

Of the number of fresh cases, the PNP logged three each from Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Eastern Visayas, Bangsamoro and Cordillera. Metro Manila posted two cases. Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Mimaropa, Davao and Caraga recorded one case each.

Six cases of COVID-19 were recorded from the PNP operational support units.

The PNP said 7,707 police personnel have recovered from the disease. The number of deaths stood at 26.