It took several months of pandemic before President Duterte realized the importance of swab testing?
PRESIDENT DUTERTE – In the recent national address of President Duterte, he expressed realization on importance of COVID-19 testing.
What many people has been complaining about ever since the pandemic took its height is the expensive price of swab testing. This will indicate if a person is infected of COVID-19 or not and it was just last night when President Rodrigo Duterte shared his realization over the importance of getting tested.
![President Rodrigo Roa Duterte](https://philnews.ph/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/President-Rodrigo-Roa-Duterte-3.jpg)
In a highlight of his address last night, President Duterte expressed, “Alam mo ang importante pala, sa totoo lang, and I realize now, it is the testing — yung swabbing. Kasi mahal, I’ trying to figure out a cheaper way of doing it and I will discuss it with the secretary of health and Gen. Galvez.”
It was just accordingly recently he realized how important is the testing for COVID-19, thus, making him decide to talk about this with the secretary of health and Gen. Galvez. He wanted to find a cheaper approach of this for the people.
The number of cases in the Philippines as of today, December 8, is now over 441,000 with more than 8500 deaths. Despite the longer quarantine period and strict implementation of health protocols, the numbers of infection and deaths in the country still continue to raise and increase over time.
With this realization, he wanted for the government to shoulder COVID-19 tests in public facilities. He then ordered Health Secretary Francisco Duque III to draft a plan as to how health centers can conduct COVID-19 tests for free. Duterte wanted this to happen in the first half of 2021 as he promised to find fund for this project.
To recall, the government set a price of Php P3,800.00 and Php 4,500.00 to Php 5,000.00 in swab testing for public facilities and private hospitals and laboratories, respectively.
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