Private labs at NAIA say they only conduct COVID-19 tests for non-OFWs

The two private laboratories conducting COVID-19 tests for arriving passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Wednesday said they only cater to non-overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) for prices not more than P10,000.

This was revealed during a motu proprio investigation of the House Committee on Transportation after Senator Richard Gordon claimed that Filipinos arriving from abroad were being diverted to private laboratories and charged up to P20,000 for a faster release of their COVID-19 test results.

During the hearing, Dr. Gjay Ordinal of private laboratory Detoxicare, stationed at NAIA Terminal 2, said their engagement with Philippine Airlines (PAL) is to test only arriving non-OFWs.

"We only charge P4,000 regardless of the timespan," he said, explaining that they do not charge more than that amount because it is what is in their contract with PAL.

Meanwhile, Mickey Gonzaga of private laboratory Philippine Airport Diagnostic Laboratory (PADLab) said they also cater only to non-OFWs as well as foreign nationals arriving at NAIA Terminals 2 and 3.

"There is a standard rate that we are following based on OSS regulations and MOA and that is 48 hours," she said.

"There is another package that will require a different type of machine that we use and different manpower to expedite or the urgency to release, that is 24 hours and 12 hours," she added.

Gonzaga said they only charge P4,000 for a turnaround time of COVID-19 results of 48 hours, P7,000 for 24 hours, and P10,000 for 12 hours.

She, however, denied that passengers are being diverted to them and asked to pay up to P20,000.

Transportation Undersecretary Raul Del Rosario reiterated that arriving Filipinos are not being diverted to private laboratories, much less being asked to pay exorbitant fees for faster COVID-19 test results.

"I can categorically say na hindi ina-usher ang mga pasahero para pumunta sa mga private lab tests," he said.

"Sa MIAA (Manila International Airport Authority), nandiyan ang mga laboratories na involved under OTS (Office of Transportation Security), [pero] wala po, hindi totoo ang P20,000 na charge," he added.

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC), chaired by Gordon, had stopped processing COVID-19 tests in their laboratories as the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) failed to settle its “ever-increasing outstanding balance.”

But even as the PRC pulled out, Del Rosario said COVID-19 testing for arriving OFWs had always been free of charge.

"Yung nagbabayad ay yung mga non-OFWs. Sila ang pumupunta sa private laboratories. Yung OFW ay Coast Guard ang nags-swab, at nung nag-pullout ang Red Cross ay doon natin pina-test sa 13 government laboratories," he added.

For now, the PRC has resumed conducting COVID-19 tests at NAIA, but the service will be charged to passengers as PhilHealth has yet to completely pay off its debt.

Overseas Filipino workers are charged P3,500 for the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test, while non-OFWs are charged P4,000. — BM, GMA News