By Sydney Antoinette Alipao

Senator Richard Gordon (PHOTO: Canadian Inquirer)

Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Chairman Senator Richard Gordon on Saturday revealed the rise of Philippine Health Insurance Corp.'s debt to PRC costing of P800 million for COVID-19 tests.

Gordon lamented the sudden bloat of PhilHealth's debt of around P200 million in a span of one month.

In a television interview, the senator said that PhilHealth's balance on December 1 was at P627 million.

“Ayaw ko sanang pinag-uusapan yan pero dapat naman maghunos-dili yang mga taga-PhilHealth dahil aabot na halos ng P1 billion na naman. P800 million na naman (ang utang nila),” said Gordon.

Gordon called for PRC's need to purchase equipments and pay  their medical technicians and other laboratory personnel.

“Ang utang dapat binabayaran. ‘Pag umorder ka, magbayad ka, mahihirapan yung nagbibigay ng serbisyo. Unang-una, dapat ang gobyerno dapat ang nanguna sa testing, e kami nasa 1.5 million na ang tinetest namin…natutuwa ako nakakapagserbisyo kami pero di namin kaya na malaki ang utang,”  Gordon uttered.

PhilHealth, Gordon appealed, needs to be up-to-date for it will cause the PRC to struggle as the debt keeps on rising.

"Masyadong napakalawak, napakalaki, nakakatakot e, tutumba ang Red Cross sa ginagawa nila,” he said.

According to Gordon, the PRC is already sending a letter to PhilHealth to inform it about its present balance.

“Hindi pwede kasi kung kelan lang nila gusto magbayad dahil lalaki at lalaki dahil dadating ang panahon and very soon baka mapigilan kaming mag-test,” Gordon exclaimed.

Previously, PhilHealth has paid half of its debt to PRC which temporarily stopped its testing operations for arriving overseas Filipino workers and others that needed the testing facilities on October due to P1 billion balance from the latter.


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