Policemen assigned in Cebu and Davao regions will have their own testing centers for the Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) before the end of this year.
Gen. Debold Sinas, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said they are now finalizing the necessary permits from the Department of Health, as well as the training of the police personnel who would man and supervise the two molecular laboratories.
“Once operational, they could accommodate 80 tests per day,” said Sinas, adding that the two COVID testing centers are located inside the police camps.
Lt. Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar, PNP deputy chief for Operations and concurrent commander of the Administrative Support for COVID-19 Task Force, said all the equipment for the two laboratories in the provinces are already in place and inspected.
Eleazar said the testing center in Cebu could cover the policemen assigned in the Visayas while Davao City would cater to police personnel in Mindanao.
“We are just waiting for the authority to operate so that we could start the test for our personnel in those areas,” said Eleazar.
Cebu City and Davao City are among the areas with high rates of coronavirus infection.
Currently, there are two molecular laboratories in operation at Camp Crame in Quezon City which could accommodate 420 tests per day.
The two testing centers at Camp Crame prioritize police personnel assigned in Metro Manila which is considered as the epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic.