PNP launches COVID-19 testing facility

May 26, 2020

The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Tuesday formally launched their own coronavirus disease (COVID-19) testing facilities.

The event was led by PNP chief  General Archie Francisco Gamboawith other police officials at the DNA Building, PNP Crime Laboratory in Camp Crame.

In his speech, Gamboa said this facility will expand their capability for supportive healthcare among their personnel who is at risk of being exposed to the virus.

“This facility further contributes our efforts to have a self-sustaining capability in addressing COVID-19 cases within the PNP organization,” he said.

“With this testing facility we can aggressively push for testing so that we can locate, isolate and care for COVID-19 carriers and those who are sick in order to keep our PNP offices and community safe enough to resume a level of responsive operations and normal economic activities,” he said.

Gamboa said with this laboratory, they strike a fine balance between ensuring public health and safeguarding PNP personnel's well-being as they continue to manage the requirement of frontline police personnel for modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), general community quarantine (GCQ) duties through regular rotation.

Last May 13, the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM)  certified their COVID-19 RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) Testing Facility.Their license to operate was granted on May 22.

Gamboa said the testing facility will operate on a limited capacity for 150 confirmatory tests per day and can be increased through automated system in response to the emerging number of police frontliners who have been infected with COVID-19.

"We see it clearly. There is a need to have our own testing center as you can see that there are increasing trend of COVID-19 cases among our police frontliners every day," he said.

Gamboa said the move to establish full operational testing center is to fast-track the results of each test of police personnel from the RITM.

Aside from establishing testing center, a mobile swabbing hub will be also opened in the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Headquarters in Taguig City.

About 13 personnel will be assigned at the new testing facility. It consists of seven personnel from the PNP Crime Lab while six are from the PNP Health Service.

Based on PNP Health Service data, 281 police personnel are  infected with COVID-19 where 117 police personnel recovered from the infectious disease and under strict observation of PNP doctors.

They also recorded a total of 739 PNP personnel who are categorized as Probable Persons Under Investigation (Probable PUIs) while a total 594 personnel were recommended as Suspected Persons Under Investigation (Suspected PUIs).

PNPHS said a total of 1890 personnel, which has 1059 Probable PUIs, 831 Suspected PUIs have completed self or home quarantine.

The Kiangan Billeting Center has  admitted 32 PNP personnel listed as PUIs and who underwent self-quarantine including seven police commissioned officers (PCO) and 25 police non-commissioned officers (PNCO).

Taekwondo Quarantine Facility admitted four PCO, 11 PNCO, and seven non-uniformed personnel (NUP)  while five are at the Gymnasium Quarantine Facility. Ella Dionisio/DMS