A solon from Paranaque City has filed a proposed bill seeking to give Filipinos free access to COVID-19 testing and vaccination.
In her House Bill 8232 or The Free and Accessible COVID-19 Testing and Vaccination Act of 2020, Rep. Joy Myra Tambunting argues that testing and vaccination are “two of our weapons in bringing an end to the pandemic”.
Tambunting emphasized that there is a need to make these services more accessible if we are to beat the pandemic.
The lady solon pointed out that testing is indispensable in our nation’s battle against COVID-19 and that despite price caps set by the government, testing remains to be unaffordable to most Filipinos.
“I believe that we can only make these RT-PCR swab tests within the reach of our countrymen if we make it free. The government must subsidize these tests for us to get a better picture of where we are in the fight against this pandemic,” Tambunting added.
House Bill No. 8232 also seeks to create an early preparation of a comprehensive vaccination plan which should determine how we can maximize the impact of the vaccines on minimizing the transmission of the disease.
Tambunting noted that “this proactive measure will allow for the speedy distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines and will consequently hasten the resumption of normal activities which would greatly help our economy’s recovery.”