The Philippine Red Cross (PCR) has decided to require arriving overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to fill up online their personal details before undergoing testing for the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
“So when they come in it is easily done,” said Sen. Richard Gordon, PCR chairman, during an interview over CNN Philippines on Thursday.
“It will just be transmitted and exported to the computers of the Red Cross,” he added.
Gordon said the PRC will send to OFWs forms which they will have to fill out before they undergo COVID-19 testing her in the country.
“They can fill it up with their phones, with their iPads, while they are still abroad or in the airline or while they are flying,” he said.
The senator explained the move was made because of late conduct of tests, late submissions of tests, and erroneous data transmitted which made it difficult for the PCR to release results.
“I am alarmed. I am stupefied. Nagagalit ako,” he said.
With the new measures in place, he said this should allow the PCR to quickly release the results.
“We are making sure we can readily identify all of them. We are simplifying the process. And we ensure more scrutiny of the encoded documents are done not only by the Coast Guard,” said Gordon who noted that many of the testing of arriving OFWs were conducted by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
Since late submissions make samples “practically useless,” Gordon said the PCR has decided to no longer accept samples that were taken beyond three days.
“Ang rule namin ngayon within three days it will arrive. If goes beyond that we won’t accept,” he stressed.
Aside from these, Gordon stressed the need for PCG personnel to undergo re-training in conducting COVID-19 testing for OFWs.
“We want them retrained,” he declared. (Jeffrey Damicog)
Just recently, the Senate adopted Gordon’s resolution which commended PCG personnel “to risk their lives by personally conducting the swabbing and specimen collection of thousands of repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and other returning Filipinos, as well as overseeing several isolation and quarantine facilities.”
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