Quezon City Representative Alfred Vargas filed a bill making COVID-19 testing free for Filipino job seekers; vulnerable workers in micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs); and the informal economy.
In filing House Bill No. 10671 or the “Free COVID-19 Testing to Promote Labor Act”, Vargas said that employees who are excluded from current free testing packages under PhilHealth, as well as small businesses and job-makers who could no longer bear their workers’ regular costly tests, would be prioritized.
HB 10671 mandates the Department of Health , as well as other concerned national government agencies, to provide “free and accessible” COVID-19 testing for these sectors. Under the proposed law, public testing centers are required to set aside a percentage of their daily testing capacity for covered workers. The DOH will also incentivize accredited private testing centers that allocate a similar proportion.
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