All of President Rodrigo Duterte’s visitors and close contacts should undergo mandatory COVID-19 rapid tests before they are allowed to see the chief executive, the Presidential Security Group (PSG) confirmed yesterday in a statement.
This confirmation was made after Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. divulged yesterday in a tweet that he underwent a rapid test before he was allowed to enter Malacañang Palace. His post could no longer be found today.
“I was rapidly tested, result in 10 minutes as a precondition to entering Malacañang. Negative! I left the Palace to the go to the airport to see off hundreds of Canadians. I need to go to the Palace again for another test. Karlo Nograles has had all his fingers punctured already,” Locsin tweeted.
Read: No touching! Bodyguards tell Filipinos not to touch Duterte amid COVID-19 outbreak
In a subsequent tweet, he reiterated that all of Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles’ fingers have been pricked for the test.
“This poor guy doesn’t have a single finger that hasn’t been pricked at least once for rapid blood testing,” Locsin tweeted.
This poor guy doesn’t have a single finger that hasn’t been pricked at least once for rapid blood testing. I got one and boy it hurt although afterwards as I uncrossed my eyes somebody said, “Sing before and while you’re pricked.” “Thanks,” I said, “but no thanks, IT’S OVER!!!!” https://t.co/T6Ht2ZXGtj
— Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) April 15, 2020
PSG Commander Colonel Jesus Durante confirmed that everyone is required to undertake the test, which his team administers. It is different from the polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test kits administered by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) and other accredited labs. An RT-PCR test requires nose and throat swab samples to be taken, while blood samples are used for rapid tests. The former is considered the “gold standard” of COVID-19 testing, while rapid test kits are prone to give false negatives.
“The procedure exempts nobody and is even administered to high ranking government officials, PSG troopers, and close-in personnel who always accompany the President,” Durante said. “This is in addition to existing medical assessments and stringent measures being enforced by PSG in order to ensure the safety and good health of the President.”
“Those found positive during the rapid tests will not be allowed to enter the facility. Much more if the concerned party manifests fever and other symptoms related to COVID-19.”
“[The] PSG does not claim that the results of the rapid tests are definite and absolute. It is still subject for confirmation through RT-PCR tests administered by RITM,” Durante added.
Newly-reappointed Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said in an interview that no one is allowed to go near Duterte, the Manila Bulletin reports.
“No cabinet member can actually go next to the President nowadays. There is a cordon, [and] you cannot cross the velvet cordon,” Roque said.
The PSG has been protective of Duterte since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic and even warned the public that they are forbidden to touch the president, an order that the chief executive has vowed to ignore.
As of yesterday, the Philippines has a total of 5,453 COVID-19 cases, with 353 recoveries and 349 deaths.
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