Roque blames lack of test kits for rising COVID-19 cases in provinces, contradicts DOH

The lack of test kits, not the government’s Balik Probinsya program and other efforts to bring home locally stranded individuals and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), is what resulted in increased COVID-19 cases in the provinces, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Monday.

Roque was referring to three government efforts to send individuals to their home provinces: Hatid Probinsya for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs); Hatid Tulong for locally stranded individuals; and Balik Probinsiya which offers cash grants to heads of families in Metro Manila for them to return to provinces and earn a living there for good.

“Siguro po walang lapses kasi may kakulangan po talaga ng test kits, napakarami po talagang OFWs na umuwi, mga 54,000 po, lahat po sila eh nag-undergo ng RT-PCR [Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction] test,” Roque said.

“Napakarami po talagang OFWs na umuwi, hindi po natin inaasahan na napakaraming mawawalan ng trabaho,” he added.

While Roque will not attribute the problem to Balik Probinsya program, the government has since suspended its implementation after local government units attributed rising COVID-19 cases to the program.

Roque also said that the shortage of test kits will be resolved soon since eight million COVID-19 test kits ordered by the government are set to arrive this week per National Task Force against COVID-19 Chief Carlito Galvez, Jr.

Roque’s claim of a shortage of test kits, however, is contrary to the pronouncement of Health Undersecretary Rosario Vergeire, who said that there is no shortage of test kits, but instead a shortage of laboratory supplies needed to process COVID-19 test results.

“We have sufficient supplies of testing kits. Ang ating talagang ikinaka-challenge ngayon would be the other supplies for laboratories tulad ng supplies on automated extraction machines atsaka yung iba pa nating logistical supplies," Vergeire said.

As of June 21 or 100 days since the lockdown was implemented, the Philippines has recorded 30,052 confirmed COVID-19 cases. — BM, GMA News