Philippine News Agency
Private firms to shoulder cost of employees’ Covid-19 tests
The Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) urged the government to fund mass testing for private sector employees.
ECOP chairman Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. stated that while COVID-19 testing is not mandatory for returning to work, companies might choose to test their staff for safety.
He also highlighted that many businesses that can reopen are micro-enterprises with limited resources.
However, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque announced that the government will not shoulder the costs of mass testing for private employees due to limited resources and test kit availability.
Roque explained that the Philippines only has 30 RT-PCR testing laboratories, far below the needed 90, and that global demand for test kits is high.
He suggested that the private sector should be responsible for purchasing tests for their employees.
Labor Secretary Silvestro Bello III had previously clarified that employees are not required to undergo COVID-19 testing before returning to work unless they show symptoms.
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The Philippine government is collaborating with the private sector to enhance the nation's COVID-19 testing capacity, aiming for 30,000 tests daily.
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Marikina City Mayor Marcelino Teodoro has mandated that private companies subject their employees to rapid mass testing before resuming work under a modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).
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The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has reiterated that employers must cover the expenses for COVID-19 testing if they require employees to undergo screening before returning to work.
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Employees returning to work are not required by their employers to undergo a COVID-19 test, according to Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.
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Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque clarified that the government's policy is expanded targeted testing, not mass testing, with a goal to test 1.5 to 2 percent of the country's 110 million population.
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