By Minka Klaudia Tiangco  There is no policy for VIP treatment in conducting tests for the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), the Department of Health (DOH) said on Monday. (DOH / MANILA BULLETIN) In a statement, the health department said all specimens are processed on a first-in, first-out basis, “with courtesy accorded to officials holding positions of national security and public health.” The statement came after several government officials were criticized for undergoing COVID-19 testing despite being asymptomatic and with the reported shortage of test kits in the country. Senators Vicente Sotto III, Imee Marcos, Ramon Revilla Jr., Francis Tolentino, Pia Cayetano, Panfilo Lacson, and Grace Poe were tested by the RITM in the Senate on March 17, with some of them getting second tests. The tests were done after the senators were reportedly exposed to Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri who was found to be positive for COVID-19. Sotto and Tolentino have since apologized for the tests. Read more: Tolentino apologizes for taking COVID-19 test Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the government officials were tested for valid reasons. “Most of them, pumasok sa criteria namin (Most of them passed our criteria),” she said in an interview with DZBB on Monday. “It was justifiable.” The DOH said the only ones eligible for testing are persons under investigation (PUIs) in critical condition and elderly PUIs with mild symptoms who have underlying conditions or are immuno-compromised. “These are extraordinary times but we are hopeful that with the arrival of 100,000 testing kits and accreditation of additional sub-national laboratories and dedicated COVID-19 referral hospitals, more cases will be detected and appropriately managed,” the DOH said. The Philippines has a total of 396 COVID-19 cases with 33 deaths and 18 recovered patients.