In his latest attack on Senator Richard Gordon, President Rodrigo Duterte has Duterte asked the Department of Health (DOH) to investigate the reported complaints about "false positives" Covid-19 tests conducted by the Philippine Red Cross (PRC).
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has not yielded an inch in his ongoing word war against Senator Richard Gordon, who is currently investigating the alleged anomalies surrounding Pharmally Corporation.
In his latest "Talk to the People" address aired Monday evening (September 20), Duterte asked the Department of Health (DOH) to investigate the reported complaints about "false positives" Covid-19 tests conducted by the Philippine Red Cross (PRC).
The President said he received reports that there are false-positive results in the swab testing processed in various molecular laboratories of PRC headed by Senator Richard Gordon.
"I also would like to ask. Are your testing facilities and equipment are really as good as you say they are? Because I have heard of many false-positive cases from your laboratories. Can you enlighten the Filipino people on this?" he said.
Duterte said he was informed that 44 out of 49 total hospital personnel tested positive in the swab tests processed by the PRC's molecular laboratory in Subic turned false positives after they have themselves retested in another facility.
He said 213 personnel of the Presidential Security Group tested positive in the processing of the PRC Manila but were tested negative in their confirmatory tests.
He added that even officials of the Department of Finance have also experienced similar things from the PRC.
"Because of this information then maybe the DOH must investigate this matter. You could be putting more people at risk. You could be falsely adding to the total positive cases per day of this country," Duterte said.
The President also insisted that the government has the legal right to audit the PRC, a non-government organization, despite explanations on the contrary by several legal experts.
Gordon has earlier said Duterte's attacks on him and other senators investigating the Pharmally issue is proof that the President is "hiding something."
Pharmally officials, including former economic adviser Michael Yang - a close associate of the President - have been issued warrants of arrest by the Senate for failing to attend Senate hearings on the issue.
Tags: #RodrigoDuterte, #PhilippineRedCross, #RichardGordon, #Senateinvestigations