Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. has tested positive for the coronavirus shortly after someone from his household and a member of his staff contracted the respiratory illness.
The 53-year-old former actor, who is currently isolating in his home broke the “sad news” on his social media last night. He assured his supporters that he’s fine and other members of his family have been cleared of the virus.
“Don’t worry, I am okay. [My wife] Lani [Mercado], and the kids are okay…they’ve all tested negative,” Revilla said, adding that the entire family got tested after an unnamed member of their household and a member of his Senate staff both tested positive for the disease.
“I was last in the Senate on Monday before all of this, and was last out on Tuesday on my Daddy’s 40th day,” he wrote, referring to attending a memorial service held to mark the 40th day since his father, Ramon Revilla Sr. died.
This morning he posted a short video from his bed, where he complained about experiencing body chills, muscle pain, and headaches. But Revilla said that he will continue to fight the disease, because “it’s just COVID.”
The senator said that he will continue to quarantine as advised by his doctor.
Read: NOT GUILTY: Anti-graft court acquits former Senator Bong Revilla of plunder
Filipinos, however, haven’t taken kindly to Revilla’s current predicament.
A clearly vexed @estrabillotin tweeted, “How shameless is Bong Revilla to write ‘Don’t worry about me. I am okay’ Do we look like we care? Can’t you just dance your way to hell?”
https://twitter.com/estrabillotin/status/1292429124431015938
While a harsher @fowkwhore wrote, “Son of a b*tch, Bong Revilla is positive for COVID-18! Miss Rona doing the job for us!”
https://twitter.com/fowkwhore/status/1292420062133903360
And a snarky @berristellar attached this photo of her true feelings after writing sarcastically, “Bong Revilla has COVID OMG so sad.”
bong revilla has covid omg so sad pic.twitter.com/EKSSltY3mN
— maykisalsky (◍•ᴗ•◍)✧*。 (@Sl0PAU) August 9, 2020
Several years back, Revilla along with two other senators, was accused of committing plunder for allegedly allocating hundreds of millions of pesos of their pork barrel fund to fake non-government organizations owned by controversial businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles. An anti-graft court ordered Revilla’s arrest in 2014 for plunder and graft charges. After four years of detainment, the same court cleared him of plunder in 2018, but he is still facing other graft-related charges.
Though he managed to be re-elected as a senator last year, some Filipinos apparently aren’t as easy to forget his alleged misdeeds.
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