By Rachel Joy Gabrido July 18, 2020 Sen. Gordon delivers his message during the inauguration of UPLB COVID-19 Molecular Diagnostic Labo...
July 18, 2020
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| Sen. Gordon delivers his message during the inauguration of UPLB COVID-19 Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory on July 10, 2020. (Photo by Joy Gabrido) |
BAY, Laguna – Senator Dick Gordon, Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, gladly announced that COVID-19 testing will be made cheaper and affordable for the benefit of the Filipino people.
During the inauguration of the UPLB COVID-19 Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory (CMDL) last Friday, July 10, the Senator took the opportunity to deliver the good news that he was in agreement with Philhealth to lower the cost of Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing to enable more Filipinos especially the underprivileged ones to afford it.
“I have already agreed with Philhealth that we would lower the cost of testing from P3500, it might go down to about P2,500 para mas kayanin ng mga tao lalo na ang mga mahihirap (so that the people, particularly the poor, can afford it),“ he pronounced.
The Senator also encouraged the present local government officials during the inaugural program to undergo COVID-19 testing which he said he had been advising to all local chief executives (LCEs) and other local officials in order to prevent further spread of the virus.
While he appealed to those who are financially able, “If you can afford it, test yourself. If you can afford to help your employees, help them. The government doesn’t have all the money in the world. Not even the United States has all the money in the world.”
Gordon said he is ultimately concerned with the people in compressed areas and to the informal settlers as the rate of positive cases in the country increases by 5 to 6 percent.
Although he said it is understandable that the rate of cases is expected to continuously rise while testing continues.
Lowering the price of testing will at least help reach out to the sectors hardly reached and can barely afford to get tested.
He pointed out that along with the need to continue working for the sake of the economy and financial sustenance of poor Filipino families is the need for more and more people to be tested.
“The dilemma is do we allow people to work or do we test first. Obviously, all the nations in the world are saying well we allow people to work but we must test,” he said
With this, he said the Philippine Red Cross is totally committed to ensuring that everyone who must be tested gets tested and plans to soon conduct house-to-house surveillance. (Joy Gabrido/PIA4A)
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