Up to PRC to construe Duterte’s statement it’s “mukhang pera” – Palace

November 6, 2020

Malacanang said on Friday it would be up to the Philippine Red Cross to interpret what President Rodrigo Duterte has said about the organization.

Duterte, in a televised public message on Thursday night, called PRC "mukhang pera (greedy)" after it refused to conduct coronavirus testing when the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. initially failed to pay its P930 million debt to PRC.

"Let's just allow the President to say what he wants to say and let that remain on record," said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque in the "Laging Handa" press briefing.

"It's up to PRC to construe what the President said," he added.

Senator Richard Gordon, the head of PRC, said Duterte should be careful because sometimes he does not know the statement that he utters is "not really presidential."

But Gordon said he was not offended by Duterte's statement.

PRC only resumed its COVID-19 testing of returning overseas Filipino workers and other individuals covered by PhilHealth when the government paid at least half of the state health insurer's debt. This was despite Duterte's earlier assurance that the government would pay its debt to PRC.

PhilHealth made an additional payment of P100 million to PRC on Thursday. Celerina Monte/DMS