Costs of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) tests of inbound passengers should be shouldered by the government, according to Senator Francis Pangilinan on Thursday.
Requiring passengers to use their own money for Covid-19 testing is “unwarranted” and the government will only push the people into the sinkhole due to the ongoing pandemic, Pangilinan stressed.
The senator also insinuated about the corruption committed by some private testing companies with the support of their “corrupt backers in the government.”
“Bakit hinahayaan ng gobyerno na pinagkakakitaan ang proteksyon sa ating kalusugan?” Pangilinan asked.
“Mas mainam na sagutin na ng pamahalaan ang swab test ng lahat ng inbound passengers, lalo na ng ating OFWs, para mabawasan ang kanilang pinansiyal na pasanin,” he added.
Meanwhile, Pangilinan advised the national government to follow Cebu province’s policy of providing free Covid-19 tests for returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs).
“I believe it is an efficient and cost-effective way of managing the spread of the virus given the current situation. It is worth adapting as a national policy,” Pangilinan further stated. Ronald Espartinez