Red Cross to cut Covid test price to help boost tourism

THE Philippine Red Cross will be cutting the cost of its RTPCR test for tourists going to destinations which require it.

This was revealed by Senator Richard Gordon late Tuesday, during the plenary hearing on the budget of the Department of Tourism ( DOT). Gordon, who also chairs PRC, told the senators online and DOT officials, “We are going to reduce the [cost of the] test to the lowest possible; we’re going to bring it down to P3,300 and eventually to P3,200, that would allow for more people to get tested.”

He said he reached this decision after speaking with private tourism businessmen such as Henry Chusuey of the Henann Group, which operates resorts in Boracay and Bohol. President Duterte had also issued Executive Order No. 118 directing the Department of Health and Department of Trade and Industry to set a price cap on Covid tests, whether RT-PCR or antigen.

“We wish you could bring it down some more, but in the meantime, they [private tourism stakeholders] all agreed, [domestic tourists] will be tested, so that they can go, but precisely also not to overload this magnificent destination [Boracay], but be also supported by Bohol, the Chocolate Hills, and all that, and of course, Palawan, and Cebu. There are so many places that domestic tourism can immediately revive,” he added.

At present, PRC charges P4,000 for its RT-PCR test. Except for Baguio, which accepts antigen test results, most tourism destinations require tourists to submit RT-PCR test results. The DOT has also been pushing to pilot the saliva test, currently used in Japan’s airports, as an alternative to the more expensive and invasive

RT-PCR test. ( See, “DOH sitting on DOT request for piloting saliva Covid test?”in the Businessmir

ror, November 17, 2020.)

With international travel restrictions still in place, the DOT is focusing on a domestic tourism program, with the development and marketing of regional circuits all over the country grouped into: North Luzon Circuit ( Ilocos region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Cordillera Administrative Region); Southern Luzon (Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol); Visayas ( Eastern Visayas, Central Visayas, Western Visayas, Samar, Cebu and Bohol, Negros Island, Aklan, Iloilo); and Mindanao ( Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, Soccsksargen and Caraga). (See, “DOT only has P1.4 billion to promote PHL as pandemic guts tourism,” in the Businessmirror, September 18, 2020.)

The DOT has a proposed budget of P4.14 billion, of which, P3.85 billion is allocated for the agency’s head office and regional offices, the Intramuros Administration at P96 million, and the National Parks Development Committee, at P224.5 million. There are separate budgets for its attached agencies such as the Tourism Promotions Board, the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, Duty Free Philippines Corp., which are mostly internally generated or allocations from travel taxes.

A former tourism secretary, Gordon also recommended the revival of “holiday economics,” a scheme pioneered by former President Arroyo, wherein holidays that fall in the middle of week are moved to Monday or Friday to allow the public to go on three-day weekend vacations.

No questions were asked of the DOT officials present; thus, the agency’s budget was deemed “submitted.”