A measure providing free COVID-19 tests for all jobseekers was filed by Senator Sonny Angara on Thursday, June 10. The proposed free testing is a "needed employment stimulus" as the country moves to bounce back from the negative impact of the pandemic on the economy.
While many job applications are now accepted online, the hiring process still often involves applicants doing face-to-face interviews or actual demonstration of trade skills "which requires a negative RT-PCR test as gate pass," noted the senator.
This "COVID-test wall" discourages the unemployed to look for jobs during the pandemic, said Angara.
Angara's Senate Bill 2291 seeks to mandate the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. to cover the cost of COVID-19 testing for the following individuals:
- A young person who is finding employment for the first time;
- An unemployed person who is actively seeking employment; and
- A displaced worker whose employment was permanently terminated for authorized reasons or other causes arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
These individuals can avail of free COVID-19 testing during the course of the pandemic national emergency, the measure reads.
Existing COVID-19 testing centers will also be mandated to reserve slots for jobseekers who qualify for free testing, the cost of which will be refunded by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) based on its prescribed price, it added. The Department of Health, Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Labor and Employment, and Department of Trade and Industry are tasked under the measure to ensure that COVID-19 testing is free and accessible for all jobseekers.
A surge in Philippine unemployment rates was seen in April 2021, amid a return to higher quarantine restrictions in parts of the country. The latest count is at a total of 4.14 million unemployed individuals 15 years old and over, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.
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