De Lima catches COVID-19
MANILA, Philippines — Former senator Leila de Lima, who is being held at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center at Camp Crame in Quezon City, announced yesterday that she tested positive for COVID-19.
De Lima said both her antigen and rapid transcription-polymerase chain reaction tests yielded positive results.
She said she is suffering from COVID symptoms such as runny nose, mild cough, sore throat, body pain and fever.
De Lima said she would not request for a medical furlough.
A Muntinlupa court deferred the scheduled hearing yesterday on the drug case filed against De Lima.
Judge Romeo Buenaventura of the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 256 reset the hearing to Nov. 21.
Prosecution witness and convicted murderer Herbert Colangco was supposed to testify against De Lima yesterday.
The former senator said she may have contracted the virus when she attended the recent hearing on the drug charges she is facing.
“With jampacked courtrooms, I felt it was just a matter of time before catching the virus,” De Lima said. “Nothing new for me, I am now isolated in my detention cell. Taking anti-viral medicines prescribed by my doctors.”
De Lima advised those whom she interacted with during last week’s hearing, including former Bureau of Corrections officer-in-charge Rafael Ragos and police security escorts, to get tested for COVID.
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