By Freddie Velez MALOLOS, Bulacan – The three cities and 21 municipalities of this province have started to conduct swabbing of priority patients that would then be submitted to the Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP) for testing. (Freddie Velez / MANILA BULLETIN) Using test kits provided by the Department of Health (DOG), the specimen were prepared and labeled appropriately and will immediately be transmitted to the LCP. The mass testing was started following a meeting of the Bulacan Inter-Agency Task Force for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) at the provincial capitol last Wednesday. Governor Daniel R. Fernando also shared that the province was just waiting for some equipment to formally open the Bulacan COVID-19 Center that will house the positive COVID-19 patients. Hence, Vice Gov. Wilhelmino M. Sy-Alvarado, who is also the health committee chair, suggested that the province should also concentrate on having more isolation or quarantine areas by including hotels and resorts in this humanitarian cause under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act or the Republic Act No. 11469. Fernando said that he has already talked to the owners and is still waiting for their response. Also during the meeting, the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officials reported that they have already distributed 238,296 family food packs in the towns of Pulilan, Paombong, Guiguinto and in the City of Malolos and to all the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries on top of the 4,045 sacks of rice in all cities and municipalities in the province. Provincial Health Officer for Public Health Dr. Jocelyn Gomez also reported that Bulacan had the lowest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases with 104, as of April 22, among the provinces bordering the National Capital Region.