Senator Richard Gordon | Inquirer File Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines – To help prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Central Visayas, Senator Richard J. Gordon, chairman and CEO of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), said they will soon be opening a bio-molecular laboratory in Cebu City.
In a press statement, Gordon said that having a new testing facility here is expected to boost the capacity of the entire Central Visayas region, where almost 2,000 cases of the infection have been recorded as of May 12.
Gordon said that Security Bank Foundation is donating P15-million to help in the establishment of the needed testing facility.
“We thank the Security Bank Foundation for making this generous donation. The need for testing cannot be over-emphasized in order to unmask the virus and prevent or control its spread. We are grateful that (the) Security Bank Foundation partnered with us in this endeavor which would save the lives of our countrymen in the Central Visayas. Security Bank has always been one of the generous donors of the Red Cross,” he said.
The board of trustees of the Security Bank Foundation recently approved a P15-million donation to the PRC to set up a bio-molecular laboratory at its chapter located along Osmena Boulevard in Cebu City. Security Bank has been a long-time regular donor of the Red Cross, Gordon said.
The PRC already opened two testing centers that are both equipped with polymerase chain machines that can run up to a total of 8,000 tests per day.
PRC’s testing capacity is projected to expand to 20,000 with the opening of additional testing centers in Port Area, Manila this week and four others in Subic, Clark, Batangas, and Los Banos in the next few weeks.
The PRC, which has the distinction of being the only Red Cross national society with a bio-molecular laboratory system, is planning on opening at least 14 bio-molecular laboratories in the entire country as a means to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other diseases that may emerge or re-emerge in the future.