Davao City – Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio assured that the swab test being encouraged by the city to the residents is free.
Speaking in the Davao City Disaster Radio, she explained that the city government will not require the people to pay the COVID-19 testing.
Duterte-Carpio expects that the testing costs will prohibit the residents to undergo testing.
“It is the policy of the city to make the RT-PCR-test available to the city residents,” she said.
Duterte-Carpio bared that the Bayanihan Fund amounting to ₱ 6-Million is already used up for the testing and other COVID-19 operations.
She explained further that the city now uses the donated testing kits from Secretary Carlito Galvez of the IATF.
Duterte-Carpio said when the donations from the national government are used up, the City Government mulls of paying the laboratories for the swab tests.
“The city will source its funds from the Public Service Enhancement Fund or Crisis Intervention Fund once the donated kits will be used up,” she said.
Duterte-Carpio stressed it is the policy of the city to get the COVID-19 positive individuals to stop the infection.
She said it is the protocol being imposed here to get all the positive persons based on the RT-PCR while the rest will be placed in a house lockdown after they turned negative in their swabbing and let them finish the 14-day quarantine or until the doctor declares to lift the house lockdown.
Duterte-Carpio also bared that the number of City Hall employees afflicted with COVID-19 infection has increased from 25 to 55.
She said all of them are under quarantine, and swabbing will be done on them accordingly.
Duterte-Carpio assured that the operation of the City Government will not be affected by the quarantine of affected employees. (Joey Sem Dalumpines)
(Source: Philippine Information Agency XI)