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President of the Senate Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto. Senate PRIB file photo
MANILA, Philippines – President Pro Tempore Ralph Chancellor of the Senate warned Thursday that the suspension of COVID-19 testing by the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) would result in an “artificial decline” in the number of cases in the country. .
In a statement, Recto noted that one in four reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests performed in the country is performed by the People’s Republic of China.
“The temporary absence of Red Cross testing distorts the national COVID picture,” he said.
The People’s Republic of China stopped testing for COVID-19 for the government after PhilHealth failed to settle the P930 million it owed for previously implemented testing.
Since October 16, the People’s Republic of China stopped testing Filipino workers arriving abroad, passengers at airports and seaports, people requesting COVID-19 tests at government swabbing facilities, to frontline health and government workers, and others included in the Department of Health’s expanded testing guidelines.
President Rodrigo Duterte has assured that the government will pay PhilHealth’s P930 million debt to the People’s Republic of China.
“The absence of [PRC] deflates the infection rate, making any drop in the reported number of verified cases an artificial decrease Yes [PRC] it stops testing incoming OFWs (overseas Filipino workers), our first line of defense against imported cases is abandoned, ”Recto continued.
He said PhilHealth “should have been proactive in paying PNRC for services provided.”
“You must always keep in mind that your role is to keep the front supplied, because that is how the war is won,” he added.
PhilHealth previously cited procurement issues in the agreement that he signed with PRC as the reason behind the non-payment of the debt, since he previously assured that he would pay off his debt with PRC.
“Fighting the pandemic has no room for logistical wait times that lead to costly delays and preventable deaths,” Recto said.
He said the case of unpaid debt to the People’s Republic of China is “a recent example of how slow and low disbursements and acquisitions have hampered the government’s efforts to save lives and livelihoods during this pandemic.”
“We can only flatten the curve if we first straighten the zigzags in the release of funds and the acquisition of goods for which they are intended,” added Recto.
On Wednesday, the total number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines reached 362,243.
Of that number, 311,506 have already recovered from the disease, while 6,747 have died.
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