Go Negosyo leads pooled swab testing in Makati

MANILA, Philippines — Six thousand people are set to be tested for coronavirus disease 2019 under the private sector’s pilot implementation of the pooled polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test in Makati City.

Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion, in a statement, said the pooled PCR test being funded by the private sector and focused on public market vendors and tricycle drivers was launched yesterday in Makati.

“I thank our long-time partner and big brother, BDO Foundation led by Tessie Sy-Coson for supporting and funding the pilot run in Makati City. This will be a game changer for our country that will reduce the cost of an individual RT (reverse transcription) – PCR test to P600 to P750. The private sector will fund a pooled PCR testing pilot for selected cities and municipalities in NCR (National Capital Region) and Calabarzon (Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon) and we will bring more private sector companies to support more cities. The more testing we do, the greater information we have on where the virus is in our communities and areas of control,” he said.

Pooled testing involves putting multiple swab samples in one PCR test. Project Antibody Rapid test Kit (ARK), spearheaded by Concepcion, is promoting it as a tool to help restore confidence in going back to work as the crisis continues and a vaccine is yet unavailable.

Pooled PCR testing is expected to help make testing more affordable.

ARK-PCR private sector chief implementor and Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin said pooled testing would also help in having faster turnaround in test results.

“Pooled testing does not only deal with a drastically reduced price, but it also deals with protecting our healthcare workers, hastening the turnaround time, and making our laboratories the windows that can open and guide us [to] where these viruses are. Go Negosyo and the partnership with BDO has made possible for us the circle with the entry of the city of Makati,” she said.

Makati City Mayor Abby Binay said pooled testing would be beneficial to constituents, but also businesses that cannot afford the P3,500 PCR test.

“This will encourage our companies to open up, [and] our employees will be assured that they are not spreading the virus as well. Hopefully, this is the answer that we have all been waiting for so we can all move forward, living with COVID,” she said.

Yesterday, around 500 public utility vehicle drivers and market vendors were swabbed at the Makati coliseum, which was converted into a testing facility.

The city plans to have over 1,000 persons swabbed per day.

After Makati City, pooled PCR testing would also be rolled out in the other cities and the lone municipality of NCR.

Firms such as the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines, PLDT Smart Foundation, RFM Corp., LT Group Inc., Wilcon Depot, First Philippine Holdings Corp. and Lopez Group of Companies, GT Capital Holdings Inc., Yazaki-Torres Manufacturing Inc., Mercury Drug Corp., Unilab and the Filipino-Chinese Community Calamity Fund pledged to support the NCR-wide testing initiatives.

Go Negosyo partners Penshoppe, CDO Foodsphere, Angkas, Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc., Lazada Philippines, Universal Leaf Philippines Inc., PTC Group, Century Pacific Food Inc. and Lloyd Laboratories will also be funding the pooled tests. – Ralph Edwin Villanueva