After complying with the mandatory requirements for quarantine after he was infected with coronavirus disease 2019, Mayo Francis Fredrick Palanca of Victorias City returned to work Tuesday, Nov. 10, his chief of staff, Dino Acuña, confirmed.
Staff at the Mayor’s Office said Palanca had his hands full as he had to cope with unfinished business since his confinement at a private hospital in Bacolod City.
He went straight to the city’s quarantine facility following his hospital discharge, his staff said.
The mayor apparently had a full day in office. A check with his schedule for Thursday, Nov. 12, showed that Palanca had a series of online meetings via Zoom: a 9 a.m. to 12 noon DILG Knowledge Sharing Activity on Road Clearing which overlapped with the 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. DILG Webinar Executive Session for Elected Officials on Pathways to Philippine Recovery under New Normal, Co-existing w/ COVID-19.
Acuña said Palanca completed the mandatory requirements for quarantine, at the Victorias North Elementary School.
A press release from the LGU said Palanca was tested positive for COVID 19 but was released by the Bacolod Adventist Medical Center Nov. 7 after he was cleared by his attending physician to go home.
But he opted to continue his quarantine at the VNES until he returned to work Nov. 10.
Acuña said the mayor presided Tuesday, his first day after quarantine, the meeting of the Emergency Operations Task Force on COVID-19.
Palanca is among the five elective government officials in Negros Occidental, who recovered from coronavirus disease.
He is current president of the Association of Chief Executives of Negros Occidental.
Victorias City has 43 active COVID-19 cases, as of Nov. 11.
The Victorias City Health Office, which was closed Nov. 11 for disinfection, is scheduled to re-open on Nov. 19. – GPB
