MANILA, Philippines — The Taguig local government has announced that the local government unit is providing free testing for workers based in the city but reiterated that employers that want to subejct their own workers to the rapid testing should shoulder for their own expenses.
It issued the reminder after it learned that some household workers like helpers and drivers were being required by their employers to undergo testing for the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at their own expense.
Rapid testing for COVID-19 can cost up to P2,100 in some private facilities.
“The advice to us was employers should be the one to look for suppliers for the testing. [In the case of] helpers, the employers should spend for the testing of their employees,” Vanessa Kalinisan of the COVID-19 hotline in Taguig said.
City public infomation office chief Maricar Brizuela said the testing fees should not be deducted from the employees’ salaries.
“The RT-PCR testing through Taguig City’s Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit is free but should employers prefer rapid antibody testing, they are obligated to shoulder the testing of their employees,” Brizuela said.
Under advisory no. 5, the city government provides free RT-PCR testing — considered the gold standard in COVID-19 testing– through the barangay or drive-through testing for residents assessed as suspected or probable cases.
The assessment is done online through Taguig’s self-assessment website under the Systematic Mass Approach to Responsible Testing or SMART program.
According to Kalinisan, prioritized for the free COVID-19 testing are front-liners, those exhibiting symptoms of the contagious disease, senior citizens and those with co-morbidities.
“If they qualify, they will be given a control number and will be scheduled and tested for free,” she said.
Those who are asymptomatic, on the other hand, may still be tested at their respective barangays based on the assessment to be done by the doctor accredited by the village.
Residents may log on to https://smarttesting.taguiginfo.com or call the Taguig COVID-19 hotline and health centers (0966-4194510 or 878-93200) for more details.