The local government of Quezon City heeded Vice President Leni Robredo’s call on Saturday, April 17, for partnership for its free mobile antigen testing initiative.
On her official Facebook page, Robredo gave updates about her office’s Swab Cab mobile program, which aims to provide free antigen testing for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in local government units (LGUs) that want to partner with them.
“Our SWAB CAB is in 3 different areas in Quezon City today. Thank you to Congressman Kit Belmonte and his district office for doing all the groundwork and for all support,” Robredo said in a post.
Belmonte is a member and the secretary-general of the Liberal Party, which the vice president chairs as its highest elected official.
Robredo launched the Swab Cab program earlier this month in Malabon City where they tested over 1,300 individuals who either have symptoms or are direct contacts of confirmed COVID-19 positive patients.
The vice president said the program aims to do “surveillance testing” of areas where the transmission of the virus is very high to quell its further spread.
She earlier said her office has been receiving multiple requests from LGUs to bring the Swab Cab program to their communities.
“We can go to any city as long as the LGU is willing to partner with us,” Robredo earlier said, explaining that her office can provide the cabs, swabbers, antigen testing kits, COVID-19 kits, and supplies like tents and beddings for the isolation facilities.
However, she also admitted that not all LGUs can provide the same commitment as Malabon City and Quezon City, so they usually tell her office that they’ll have to prepare first to meet the requirements.
Marikina City reached out to the Office of the Vice President (OVP), too, with Robredo saying that they’ve already met with Congresswoman Stella Quimbo’s team. Quimbo is also from the Liberal Party.
The Swab Cab program is available in areas under the National Capital Region Plus (NCR Plus) bubble, which also includes the provinces of Laguna, Cavite, Bulacan, and Rizal. The region is under the moderate enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), the second most restrictive quarantine restriction by the government, until April 30.
This is not the only initiative that the vice president is doing as part of her office’s COVID-19 response.
She also launched the Bayanihan E-Konsulta program, as well as the free mobile laboratory testing for the teleconsult program’s patients.