Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat on Friday, July 16 urged health facilities to lower the cost of their swab tests to encourage more people to travel and hasten the recovery of the tourism industry from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Puyat said a cheaper option will lead to more domestic trips without sacrificing the test-before-travel requirement of most local government units (LGUs) as COVID-19 testing remains "expensive and out-of-reach" for budget-conscious travelers.
"The added cost of COVID-19 tests can be quite significant especially for big families traveling together. A slash in the cost of RT-PCR tests would encourage more travelers to pursue their travel plans," Puyat explained.
"In return, this will spur economic activities and reinvigorate the tourism industry," she added.
A negative result of COVID-19 test, particularly the Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction or RT-PCR test, has been the main travel document being required by most LGUs on tourists to allow entry.
Currently, the costs of RT-PCR tests range from P1,500 to P5,000 in some high-end medical facilities, although the IATF has received reports of those charging as high as P10,000.
Last year, the government imposed a COVID testing price cap of P5,000 on private laboratories and P3,800 on public laboratories, and warned that those who will overcharge will be penalized.
The tourism chief said she has already appealed to the IATF regarding the possibility of lowering the price cap.
"Lowering such cost will also provide relief to individuals who need the test such as our returning overseas Filipino and overseas Filipino workers," Puyat added.
The DOT, through the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), partnered last year with the Philippine Children's Medical Center (PCMC) and the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) to provide subsidized RT-PCR tests for qualified domestic tourists.
Under the subsidy program, the TPB shoulders 50 percent of the original price charged by the PCMC and UP-PGH--cutting the fee to only P750 and P900, respectively.
To provide tourists with cheaper COVID test options, Puyat also urged the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM) to certify more facilities performing saliva-based RT-PCR tests which only costs P2,000 per head.
"If more hospitals and laboratories are certified to conduct saliva tests, this cheaper alternative will be more accessible to the public and will be recognized by more LGUs in their entry requirements for local travelers," she said.