Combining rapid antibody testing and RT-PCR (reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction) is a strategy that helps restart the economy while keeping the people as safe as possible and guards against the second wave of the dreaded coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Dra. Minguita Padilla, head of Project ARK Medical Team, stressed this in an official statement on Saturday. She was supported by other members of the Project ARK Medical Team – former Health secretaries Dr. Manuel Dayrit and Dr. Esperanza Cabral, Dr. Rontgene Solante, and Dr. Vicente Bellizario, who stood by its protocol of combining both rapid and RT-PCR tests to help reopen the economy. “We wish to find a balance. This, we are trying to do through the strategic and complimentary use of reputable rapid antibody tests, combined with RT-PCR testing. It is, for this reason, that we are also helping government hospitals ramp up their RT-PCR testing capacities so that this can be more widely accessible and affordable,” the group added. “We’re going to use the modified enhanced community quarantine to test as much as possible. This is our contribution to slowly bring back to normal our livelihood,” Padilla said. During the preparation of the Project ARK protocol for testing, consultation was done with many experts,including the Philippine-American Academy of Science & Engineering (PAASE), particularly through its president, Gisela Padilla-Concepcion. The PAASE is an international professional organization composed of almost 400 eminent Doctors of Medicine (MDs), MD-PhDs, PhDs, molecular biologists, virologists, engineers, and many other professionals from the field of science and engineering from various countries. In Singapore, Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing said rapid test kits would aid in resuming global travel and other activities that require social interaction. He further endorsed the use of rapid test kits given that infected people may not show symptoms. “A faster economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic for Singapore would depend on the availability of affordable, rapid test kits and the roll-out of a vaccine.” “As we reopen the economy, we must remember to do it safely and cautiously. We must use all the tools available to us at the moment to protect the lives and livelihood of our people and to effectively fight COVID-19. I believe that extensive testing is key to protecting public health, and the means to help our economy bounce back successfully from this crisis,” Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion said. Concepcion, during his interviews, reiterated that massive rapid testing of employees is not a waste of resources. “It is, in fact, a way of protecting our businesses and the lives of our people. The private sector is spending more than ₱500 million to ₱600 million on this, but continuous lockdown is going to cost us much more. More testing will also enable us more accurately to monitor the true incidence of the infection.” To date, Project ARK has generated a total of 1,062,943 rapid test kits from 218 companies. 922,283 will be used by its partner companies while 140,660 kits will go to barangay donations.