Gordon: PhilHealth owes PRC P320 million for COVID-19 tests

MANILA, Philippines —  The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) owes the Philippine Red Cross approximately P320 million for COVID tests, PRC chairman Richard Gordon said yesterday.

“PhilHealth still owes us about P300 million for the COVID tests. They say they will pay (but) I don’t know if that’s true,” he said in Filipino during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum.

Gordon added that the government should do its duty to pay.

“Kapag hindi ka nagbabayad, may kalokohan yan (If you don’t pay, that’s a scam),” he said.

Gordon emphasized the importance of fulfilling financial obligations to maintain trust and efficiency within government institutions.

The PRC played a crucial role in the national COVID response, conducting widespread testing to curb the spread of the virus, according to the former senator.

In recognition of his leadership during the pandemic, Gordon recently received a certificate of recognition from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

The award, presented by IFRC president Kate Forbes on May 30, acknowledged the PRC’s successful COVID response, which saved many lives.

Gordon attributed the PRC’s success to its extensive network and resources, citing that the PRC had at least 14 molecular laboratories that “came in handy.”

“Without us going into molecular laboratories, the 70,000 deaths would probably be about seven million. Because of the testing, we were able to test almost 5,700,000,” he said.