Senator Risa Hontiveros pushed for mass testing for employees who are returning to work in areas under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) and general community quarantine (GCQ) after the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said that the COVID-19 test is not mandatory for Filipino employees, but committed a regular mass testing for Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGO) employees.
“We need to test workers returning to work. This needs to be arranged by employers and DOH (Department of Health),” Hontiveros posted on Twitter.
“We can’t ease quarantine if we’re not doing mass testing. Na-commit nga natin sa POGO, ba’t hindi sa mga Pilipino?” she added.
Hontiveros’ statement came after Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said that not everyone who is returning to work is required to undergo the COVID-19 test.
“Hindi mandatory ang COVID-19 testing. Kung symptomatic, i-test dapat. Pero kung hindi po, hindi mandatory ‘yan,” Bello III said, noting that employers must only comply with minimum health standards and strict sanitation protocols as they restart operations.
The Department of Health supported Bello’s statement and said that symptomatic screening is ideal.
Senator Hontiveros slammed the statement and emphasized that some carriers of the virus are asymptomatic, or persons who are not showing any symptoms, and that the country cannot face a ‘second wave’ of COVID-19.
Meanwhile, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian encouraged employers to have their employees tested for COVID-19 by accredited laboratories covered by PhilHealth.
He also shared how their family business is taking care of its worker’s safety.
“Unang-una nagsu-survey, tinatanong kung nagkasakit sila sa loob ng 14 na araw. Kung walang sakit, walang sintomas, puwede pumasok. Kung may sakit ang iba hindi muna pinapapasok,” Gatchalian said.
“Ang ginagawa ho namin, nakipag-kontrata kami sa isang laboratoryo na magko-conduct ng PCR testing sa aming mga empleyado. Sagot muna ng aming korporasyon pero pwede po itong ma-reimburse sa Philhealth. Babayaran ho ito ng Philhealth kay huwag hong mag-aalala ang ating mga korporasyon dahil kasama ho sa Philhealth ‘yung pagbayad po ng testing,” Gatchalian added. (RJ Espartinez)