MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Tourism's Tourism Promotions Board on Thursday evening announced that it would stop processing the registrants and applications for the RT-PCR (Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) test 50% subsidy with Philippine Children’s Medical Center.
The temporary suspension will take effect starting 12:01 a.m., March 5.
Related Stories
The TPB said the number of approved applications has already reached the allocated slots for COVID-19 test subsidy.
— Tourism Promotions Board Philippines (@tpbphl) March 4, 2021
“Those who have registered and applied prior to March 5 will still be processed,” it said.
Meanwhile, those who still wish to avail of the RT-PCR test 50% subsidy are encouraged to register with its other partner hospital, University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital.
“Please be informed, however, that the UP-PGH can only administer RT-PCR swab tests to 150 TPB-approved and endorsed applications from Monday to Saturday excluding holidays,” the DOT’s attached units said.
The DOT and TPB partnered with PCMC last December 28 to make RT-PCR test affordable to 11,600 tourists.
Prior to this, the DOT and TPB forged a memorandum of agreement with the UP-PGH to subsidize 50% of the hospital’s RT-PCR test to 11,000 qualified domestic tourists.
Through this financial subsidy program, RT-PCR tests of qualified tourists only cost P900 and P750, from the UP-PGH and PCMC, respectively. Domestic tourists from Metro Manila can apply by visiting this website www.tpb.gov.ph/rtpcrphtravel.