Gordon reacts to Duterte's 'mukhang pera' remark on PRC

Senator Richard Gordon, the Philippine Red Cross chairman, blamed Health Secretary Francisco Duque III for President Rodrigo Duterte’s “mukhang pera” (greedy remark) against the humanitarian organization.

“I think he was misled by the statement. Because the way the predicate was laid by Sec. Duque was wrong. Sabi niya, nagtest na ulit noong binayaran (He said we continued testing when the debt was paid),” Gordon, PRC chairman said in a press briefing with reporters.

During Duterte’s meeting with Cabinet member in Malacañang, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said that the decrease in reported COVID-19 positives was due to PRC’s suspension of PhilHealth-funded swab tests.

“Nabayaran na po ang PRC at nagbukas na po silang muli kaya patuloy na po ang kanilang pagsusuri ng mga swab specimen,” Duque said.

(PRC has already been paid, and it is open again to continue checking the swab specimen.)

Duterte then commented, “Mukhang pera.”

However, Gordon argued that “we never stopped testing. We started testing in October. And in fact, binabaan na namin yung hinihinging presyo ng PhilHealth. That’s why we tried very hard to bring the price down.”

Gordon reacts to Duterte’s ‘mukhang pera’ remark on PRC

On October 15, Red Cross stopped processing COVID-19 tests of those listed in the Department of Health’s expanded testing guidelines (DOH) per its memorandum no. 2020-0258-A, including overseas Filipino workers, individuals through the mega swabbing facilities and local government units, frontline health and government workers, and those arriving in airports and seaports.

Last week, the Philippine Red Cross finally resumed its COVID-19 testing for the government after Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) paid half of its P903-million debt to the humanitarian organization.

PhilHealth paid P500 million to Red Cross for the COVID-19 tests done on OFWs and returning Filipinos, among others.

On Thursday, PhilHealth paid P100 million more to Philippine Red Cross.

Red Cross was responsible for about 1 million COVID-19 tests, or nearly 25 percent of the country’s total 3.8 million tests.

As of November 5, the Department of Health has recorded 1,594 additional cases of COVID-19. Meanwhile, 468 recovered, and 42 died.

Of the total number of cases recorded in the country, 8.4% (32,773) were active cases, 89.7% (349,543) were cured, and 1.90% (7,409) died.