Sagada mayor infected

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan, Philippines — The mayor of Sagada, Mountain Province tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday night.

Mayor James Pooten Jr. said he is asymptomatic. He urged those who were exposed to him in the past two weeks to isolate and undergo testing.

Among the activities that the mayor attended was the turnover of protective personal equipment donated by Rep. Maximo Dalog Jr. on March 22.

Pooten is the second mayor in Mountain Province who contracted the virus after Bontoc Mayor Franklin Odsey.

Mountain Province logged 91 cases on Friday. Twenty-one are from Sagada, bringing the active cases in the town to 148.

In Sadanga, also in Mountain Province, municipal government buildings and the immediate vicinity were placed on indefinite lockdown after several employees were infected.

The vice mayor of this city, Bienvenido de Guzman, also contracted the virus. He was brought to the People’s General Hospital.

De Guzman attended the signing of a financial grant of the Department of Agriculture on March 17 and awarding ceremony for outstanding youths on March 23.

Subsidized COVID-19 testing

Meanwhile, tourists visiting Baguio City could avail themselves of antigen test for only P350.

The Tourism Promotions Board of the Department of Tourism allocated P1.8 million to subsidize COVID-19 testing for 12,000 Baguio tourists.

Baguio tourism operations officer Aloysius Mapalo said the subsidized testing could be availed at their central triage.

Antigen test at the Baguio triage currently costs P350 for residents and P500 for non-residents and tourists.

Mapalo said the program would be rolled out until the fund is depleted or until the number of recipients is reached.

Aside from presenting a negative COVID-19 result, visitors should register at the city’s online tourist monitoring platform.

Baguio reopened to tourists in October.

The city government required testing again on March 19 due to a surge in infections. – Elijah Felice Rosales