Gov’t to pay its obligation to Philippine Red Cross – Roque

The government will pay its obligation to the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) for conducting coronavirus tests, Malacanang said Friday.

Presidential Spokesman Harry L. Roque said the Department of Justice has already given its legal opinion that the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) has to provide partial payment to the PRC while the memorandum of agreement between the two parties is undergoing review.

Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III on Wednesday said around 6,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have been stranded in quarantine hotels as the PRC has stopped conducting Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests chargeable to PhilHealth as the latter’s bill for unpaid tests has ballooned to P930 million.

“Having said this, we call on the PRC to resume its testing services. We likewise ask the public, including our stranded OFWs, for their patience and understanding as we resolve this matter at the soonest possible time,” Mr. Roque said, adding that the President has already asked various government agencies and private laboratories to assist OFWs with their RT-PCR testing. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza