Senator Dick Gordon honors the volunteers and staff of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) as the country’s foremost humanitarian organization reached a one-million mark in the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) tests performed in the country.
In his privilege speech, Gordon, chair and CEO of PRC, said hitting 1,003,754 results is a momentous occasion for the organization.
“The Red Cross has been doing its job representing 26% of the national output of 3.8 million tests. The positivity rate is 7% and the results were released for 24-48 hours. I mentioned this to honor the staff and volunteers of the Philippine Red Cross throughout the entire archipelago and the whole Red Cross movement in general,” the veteran legislator said.
The PRC inaugurated its first two bio-molecular laboratories, which are equipped with COVID-19 testing machines that are capable of testing 4,000 samples per day, in its headquarters in Mandaluyong City on April 21.
21 more state-of-the-art testing laboratories, which can process 42,000 tests per day, were established.
Through the seasoned lawmaker’s dedication and the hard work of the PRC’s staff and volunteers, 21 more state-of-the-art testing laboratories, which can process 42,000 tests per day, were established. These are strategically located in ten areas all over the country.
Aside from Mandaluyong, the PRC has put up laboratories in Manila, Clark, Subic, Batangas, Cebu, Bacolod, Zamboanga and Cagayan de Oro City.
“We are about to open in Surigao and Isabela, and we are now building in Panay Island which should be opened by the end of this week to cover the whole island of Panay in Passi. We’re building also in BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao), and of course, in Quezon, in Laguna, as well as, in Albay and Pangasinan,” the senator said.
“The PRC has currently 384 med techs that are working 24/7 together with all other staff and volunteers, and they have done yeoman’s work.”
“The PRC has currently 384 med techs that are working 24/7 together with all other staff and volunteers, and they have done yeoman’s work. They have been recognized by the entire Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies,” he stressed.
“I just want to mention that not for bragging rights but really to honor all our staff and volunteers who have been doing work for the last seven months,” Gordon concluded.