PNP gets own Covid-19 testing center

“Yes, confirmed. Formal launching tomorrow (Tuesday) at 9 a.m. It will operate, however, on a limited capacity at 150 tests per day,” PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac said in a text message sent to Philippine News Agency. (File Photo: Philippine National Police/Facebook)

MANILA – The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday said it has now a license to operate a coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) testing center.

“Yes, confirmed. Formal launching tomorrow (Tuesday) at 9 a.m. It will operate, however, on a limited capacity at 150 tests per day,” PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac said in a text message sent to Philippine News Agency.

PNP chief Gen. Archie Gamboa emphasized the need for the police force to have its own reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing facility.

“It’s good that (we have thought) of coming up with our own RT-PCR testing center and true enough, we are now accredited. We now have a license to operate and we will have live streaming on the (launching) of the (our) RT-PCR facility (at the PNP Crime Laboratory),” Gamboa said in a TV interview.

The PNP will also launch its own mobile swabbing facility in the National Capital Region for its personnel.

“They don’t need to report to (Camp) Crame. Also, we ask the public to understand that we have put this up primarily for PNP personnel and their dependents first,” Gamboa explained.

Lt. Gen. Camilo Cascolan, commander of the Administrative Support to Covid-19 Operations Task Force (ASCOTF), said the Department of Health issued them a license to operate to the RT-PCR facility in Camp Crame on May 22.

This came more than a week after the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine certified the facility as an independent testing center on May 13.

Cascolan noted that the PNP has also complied with the requirement of training 15 personnel from PNP Crime Laboratory as operators of the RT-PCR facility.