By MARTIN A. SADONGDONG
The Philippine Military Academy (PMA) conducted mass testing for the first time since the pandemic in the country started last March after several cadets and officers were infected with COVID-19.
“It is with deep concern that the Academy confirms the positive COVID-19 cases among the cadets and its military and civilian personnel,” Major Cherryl Tindog, PMA spokesperson, said in a statement.
Tindog did not reveal how many cadets, organic military personnel, and civilian human resource have been infected with the viral disease but she said they were already isolated in an undisclosed facility in Baguio City.
She said all the infected were asymptomatic and a number of them have already recovered. She said the infected individuals have been subjected to contact tracing.
Major Gen. Edgard Arevalo, AFP spokesperson, confirmed the infection within the PMA walls as he suggested that it likely originated from the food handlers of the Academy.
“Kinukumpirma po ng pamunuan ng PMA na nagkaroon ng insidente ng COVID-19 infection sa loob ng PMA na kinabibilangan ng mga kadete at food handlers natin, iyong mga nagsisilbi ng pagkain ng mga kadete,” Arevalo said in a virtual press briefing.
The AFP Cadet Corps has been isolated in a “bubble” from the outside world as the PMA cancelled all of their contact activities and employed online mode of learning instructions to the cadets.
But some of the Academy’s civilian human resource, including the personnel who prepare the food of the cadets every day, are susceptible of acquiring the virus from outside the PMA bubble, Tindog said.
“One way or another, a leak to the bubble can occur from day to day activities of the whole community,” Tindog noted.
Arevalo said National Task Force (NTF) chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr., a former AFP chief, vowed to send 2,000 RT-PCR test kits to PMA to test more cadets and personnel so they can trace all the infected individuals.
Tindog maintained that the PMA command remains on top of the situation to address the COVID-19 infection within the Academy.
She noted that some facilities were placed on lockdown to control the spread of the virus while the disinfection of the affected areas were ongoing.
“We assure the parents and their (cadets) families that their health and needs are being attended to by Headquarters PMA,” Tindog said.
