New COVID-19 facility in PNP to conduct 150 tests daily

PNP chief Gen. Archie Gamboa (center) led the opening of the COVID-19 testing center at the DNA Building of PNP Crime Laboratory in Camp Crame, Quezon City on May 26, 2020. /PNP PIO

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Tuesday opened its COVID-19 testing facility which can conduct 150 tests per day for its police frontliners who are “potentially exposed” to the respiratory disease.

“We formally launched today RT/PCR (Reverse Transcription – Polymerase Chain Reaction)  testing for COVID-19 after passing RITM (Research Institute for Tropical Medicine) and DOH (Department of Health( health standard requirements,” PNP chief Gen. Archie Gamboa said in a speech during the launch of the testing center.

The testing center, which was established at the DNA Building of PNP Crime Laboratory at Camp Crame, Quezon City, was approved by the DOH and RITM on May 22.

Gamboa noted that the facility is needed to “aggressively” isolate and detect coronavirus disease cases in the police force.

“We see it clearly, there is a need to have our own testing center as you can see that there is an increasing trend of COVID-19 cases among our police frontliners every day,” he said.

Seven personnel from PNP Crime Laboratory and six from PNP Health Service will supervise the newly-approved testing facility.

Tje PNP also placed a mobile swabbing hub at Camp Bagong Diwa, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Headquarters in Taguig City.

As of Tuesday, PNP posted 281 cases of COVID-19 including 117 recoveries and four deaths.