No donations at Malasakit Centers

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Bong Go has denied allegations that his office is involved in controlling the release of donations for COVID-19 aid in an effort to boost his ratings for the 2020 elections.

“Claims circulating that I am involved in handling donations intended for the government are utterly false, deliberate disinformation and black propaganda,” he said in a statement released Wednesday night. “I want to clarify that I play no part in the operations and mandate of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD). My office also has nothing to do with the distribution of government resources.”

He also clarified that medical goods are not being distributed in Malasakit Centers, which he said are “intended as one-stop shops for poor patients where relevant agencies with medical and financial programs are gathered under one roof.”

“There are no PPEs or medical equipment being brought or distributed at the Malasakit Centers,” Go stressed.

His statement was in response to several posts on social media, which showed boxes of donated medical goods bearing his name. There have also been posts that a hospital was raided so that donated PPEs may be consolidated, distributed and repackaged, a claim which the hospital has denied.

President Duterte has issued an administrative order designating the OCD as the main coordinating body for all donations to the government intended for COVID-19 response.

Donations made directly to agencies and state hospitals will be allowed, although these have to be reported to the OCD.

Go said his office has been acting as a bridge to connect donors from the private sector to the right agencies as well as “help those asking for assistance by connecting them to the appropriate entities that can respond to their needs.”

He dismissed speculations that he is building his image up to run for the presidency in the next national elections.

“I am a senator and I have five more years to serve. I have no ambition to run so don’t include my name in political talk for 2022 because I am not interested,” he said.

Rapid test kits

Meanwhile, even if the Department of Health (DOH) has approved the commercial use of the rapid antibody-based test kits to determine if one is infected with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), it has ruled out their use for mass testing.

In a statement, the DOH cautioned the public against using the antibody-based test kits without doctor’s supervision to avoid the risk of misinterpretation.

“Because of the risk of misinterpreting the results, only physicians should use and advise patients regarding the test results of rapid antibody-based test kits. Mass testing using rapid antibody test kits is thus not recommended,” it said.