Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella: They should make more studies to find where this variant came from. To say that this is a Central Visayas variant is not accurate and not fair. | file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella branded the naming of a newly identified variant of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) as the “Central Visayas variant” as unfair.
The mayor said the nomenclature makes it appear as if the variant originally developed in Central Visayas when there are no studies yet proving such.
In a press conference on April 7, 2021, Labella expressed dismay over the naming of the newly identified variant saying that more research should be done to trace its origins.
“I am sorry to say that it is not quite fair to call it Central Visayas. They should make more studies to find where this variant came from. To say that this is a Central Visayas variant is not accurate and not fair.”
“Gikapoyan na guro silag make og research to find out where this variant came from so they just jumped to that unfair conclusion. We are victims of this variant. Just make a thorough research,” said the mayor.
The Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7) has received reports, including publication materials from the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), referring to P.3 variant as Central Visayas Variant instead of Philippine variant.
The DOH-7 and other officials in the region will be writing to the national government regarding this nomenclature with requests of removing the “Central Visayas” from the variant.
Labella also urged experts to continue studying the variant and how it affects those infected with it. /rcg