SMC pushes free mass testing in poor areas

MANILA, Philippines — Diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC) is pushing for free mass testing for the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 for families in impoverished areas and regulated pricing for the public in general.

“We need to be able to find a way to make testing accessible to all. Everyone should have equal access, not just those who have the means,” SMC president and COO Ramon Ang said.

He said the government should regulate the price of testing, to make it affordable for regular Filipinos and small companies that have to test their employees before returning to work.

Toward this end, SMC is working with the local government of its home city of Mandaluyong to ensure that the cost of testing in the city remains affordable.

SMC has turned over testing booths to three local governments, part of the overall plan to donate to all 17 Metro Manila LGUs to boost their testing capacities.

“We are fully committed to helping all our Metro Manila LGUs increase their COVID-19 testing capabilities, in support of the national government’s expanded testing goals,” Ang said.

A total of 24 testing booths were turned over to Mandaluyong Mayor Carmelita Abalos, Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, SMC said in a statement.

The company would deliver this week the testing booths for other LGUs—Quezon City, Caloocan, Malabon, Las Pinas, Paranaque, Muntinlupa, Makati, Navotas, San Juan, Taguig, Marikina, Valenzuela, Pasay and Pateros.

SMC is also donating P3 million worth of PCR tests to each of the 17 LGUs, equivalent to 34,000 tests.

The company is also set to turn over an additional three sets of RT-PCR testing machines and automated RNA machines to key government hospitals.

“With these donations, we hope to help boost testing particularly in our less-fortunate communities where many underprivileged families are extra vulnerable, due to their living conditions,” Ang said.

Apart from its donations to the LGUs, SMC had earlier donated five sets of the same testing machines to the Department of Health (DoH) and testing kits which can administer up to 20,000 tests.

According to the DOH, the donation effectively doubled the country’s testing capacity.