MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Leni Robredo’s office bought P14 million worth of coronavirus test kits developed by University of the Philippines (UP) scientists to benefit 3 laboratories in Metro Manila Manila and another in Bicol region.

In a statement on Friday, April 24, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) said the COVID-19 detection and extraction kits would allow the following certified laboratories to conduct a total of 10,000 tests:

• San Lazaro Hospital in Manila
• Lung Center of the Philippines in Quezon City
• V. Luna General Hospital in Quezon City
• Bicol Regional Diagnostic and Reference Laboratory 

Robredo herself met with microbiologist and infectious disease expert Dr Raul Destura during her visit to the office of test kit manufacturer Manila Healthtek Inc on Friday. 

Destura led the team of UP-National Institutes of Health scientists that developed the test kits capable of fast detection of coronavirus. (READ: U.P.-developed coronavirus test kits ready for mass use beginning April 4) 

Robredo’s office had previously donated P5.3 million worth of COVID-19 extraction kits  to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, the country’s primary testing center which had to scale down operations after 43 employees acquired COVID-19.  

The Vice President and her team have also been spending the past weeks giving various assistance to frontliners against COVID-19, from free dormitories for health workers to food packs for uniformed personnel deployed at checkpoints. – Rappler.com