Palace denies search for other COVID-19 labs a threat to PRC

Malacañang on Tuesday said that the government was not threatening the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) by looking for private laboratories that could handle the COVID-19 tests of returning overseas Filipinos.

The PRC had refused to resume its testing services chargeable to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) over the latter's failure to settle its debt amounting to P1.1 billion.

The Department of Health has since started speaking with at least eight private laboratories that reportedly had a combined testing capacity equivalent to that of the PRC.

“Sa akin po, kung talagang hindi natin mapipilit ang PRC na bumalik maski ang offer po ngayon ay 50% na babayaran, eh wala po tayong magagawa, kinakailangang humanap po ng mga alternatibo at iyon lang naman po ang ginagawa natin,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque told a news conference.

“Gumagawa tayo ng hakbang para tuluyan nating maasistihan ang ating mga kababayan; wala po iyang mga pananakot.”

The state insurer said on Tuesday that it made an initial payment of P500 million to the PRC.

“Ang pakiusap lang naman po natin is, garantiyado na ng Presidente na babayaran 100%, ibibigay na ang 50%, bakit naman hindi pa ituloy nga ang testing?” Roque asked.

Roque, meanwhile, doubted PRC Chairman and Senator Richard Gordon’s claim that OFWs were being charged up to P20,000 to expedite the processing of COVID-19 tests.

“Alam ninyo naman po ang access sa NAIA ay restricted at in-assure naman po tayo ng NAIA na ang lahat po na pumapasok na mga PCR test personnel ay namu-monitor naman po nila,” he said in a radio interview on Tuesday.

“So minabuti pa rin po na magkaroon ng imbestigasyon diyan pero ang assurance po sa atin, dahil restricted nga po iyang airport, eh mukhang malabo naman daw po iyan mangyari,” Roque added. — DVM, GMA News