Two House leaders backed the call of San Miguel Corp. (SMC) President Ramon Ang for scaled up mass testing in a bid to jumpstart the economy amid the persisting COVID-19 pandemic.
"I agree with Mr. Ramon Ang," said Anakalusugan party-list Rep. Mike Defensor.
"In the absence of cure and vaccine, mass testing is the only qualified undertaking that can assuage the work area and other business entities. There should be a calibrated balance between health and economic concerns," added Defensor, chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts.
Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers backed the SMC head honcho's proposed formula for economic revival.
"Yes we should intensify mass testing and implement test, trace, and treat (method or T3). Big corporations should do this on their own employees and maybe their families too. The initiative of RSA should be the cue of all corporations and DoH (Department of Health)," the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs chairman said.
Ang, one of the most respected businessmen in the country, told CNN Philippines over the weekend that mass testing is a must for the economy start growing and for people to start doing business again.
The billionaire tycoon famously said last April or during the height of the business-crippling Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) that he would gladly "choose life over anything else," including profits.
"Once a life is lost, you can never bring it back," he said.