OWWA: 17 gov’t labs tapped in place of Red Cross for COVID-19 tests of OFWs

Seventeen government laboratories have been tapped to conduct the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) tests on arriving overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said on Friday.

“Swab testing continues upon arrival that’s for sure and it's for free,” assured OWWA Administrator Hans Cacdac during an interview with CNN Philippines.

Cacdac made the assurance after the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) stopped processing the swab samples taken by the Philippine Coast Guard from arriving OFWs for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests since Oct. 15 due to the nonpayment of the ₱930-million debt the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) owes PRC.

Cacdac said 17 national government and local government laboratories have been tapped to conduct the processing of the swab samples.

“What has changed is the processing of the specimen collected by the Philippine Coast Guard. When it used to be the Red Cross processing the specimen, now it will be the 17 national and local government labs doing this,” Cacdac said.

“It’s still the PhilHealth shouldering the swab tests with respect to the 17 government labs,” he added.

Aside from the free tests, Cacdac said arriving OFWs are also provided with free transportation and free accommodation in quarantine hotels.

“So far, we have around 6,500 in our hotel quarantine facilities,” the administrator said.

Cacdac admitted that a number of them have been staying in hotels since Oct. 15 and have been affected by the PRC's decision to stop processing COVID-19 tests.

“But most of them are still within the 3 to 7 day range in which they await their PCR test results upon arrival in the Philippines,” he said.

Cacdac said that OWWA spends between ₱15,000 to ₱16,000 for each arriving OFW including his/her stay in hotels.

“We have not yet assessed the full effect of the delay or the extended stay in their hotels,” he said.