By promising a partial payment, Palace urges the Red Cross to resume state-funded COVID-19 testing

MANILA – Malacañang on Friday urged the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) to resume testing for the new coronavirus and supported the payment of P930 million in debt from state health insurer PhilHealth in installments, a provision that the organization rejected.

President Rodrigo Duterte previously gave “his commitment” to pay PhilHealth fees, said his spokesman Harry Roque.

Meanwhile, the justice department gave its legal opinion that PhilHealth “has to provide a partial payment” while its agreement with the People’s Republic of China is reviewed, it said.

“Having said this, we ask the People’s Republic of China to resume its testing services,” Roque said in a statement.

“We also ask the public, including our Filipino Overseas Workers (OFW) and Filipinos (OF) Overseas (OF), for their patience and understanding to resolve this matter as soon as possible. In the meantime, we have already asked the government and to the private sector laboratories to assist our OFW and OF in their RT-PCR tests, “he added.

The Red Cross was responsible for about a quarter of the country’s 4.1 million COVID-19 tests, including those of repatriated migrant workers.

The suspension of testing has slowed down the processing of repatriated Filipino migrant workers, who must obtain a negative swab test before they are allowed to go to their places of origin. About 6,000 OFW are trapped in Metro Manila, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said Tuesday.

The government will pay off half of its debt “as soon as possible” and the rest within a “reasonable” time, Roque said this week.

But the President of the People’s Republic of China, Senator Richard Gordon, said early Friday that the government “should pay the full amount” before his organization resumes testing.

The Red Cross is charging PhilHealth around P3,500 for each test. However, the People’s Republic of China “is a beneficiary of both the donated machines and the donated test kits, in addition to the ones they bought with government funds as well,” Roque said previously.

“PhilHealth should not pay the same rating for all PCR tests performed … There is a price difference if the machine that uses the testing facility is donated and there is also a price difference if the test kits that are used are donated. they use, “he said in a television interview.

“It is really a matter of accounting reconciliation. It is not as simple as paying P3,500 for each test performed. We still have to differentiate between tests performed with machines and test kits paid for by the Red Cross and those that use donated machines and kits. test, “he added.

The PhilHealth debt reports emerged as its officials fought corruption allegations, leading to the resignation of its former CEO and President Ricardo Morales, who had signed the test agreement with the Red Cross.