The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation has paid about P700 million of its debt to the Philippine Red Cross, shrinking the balance to P377 million, an official said Sunday.
PhilHealth spokesman Rey Baleña also told Dobol B sa News TV that the agency would be releasing P100 million every week to settle its debt on the COVID-19 tests conducted by the PRC.
“We have already paid a total of P700 million to the Red Cross. We still have a balance of P377 million," Baleña said.
Earlier, the PRC stopped providing COVID-19 swab tests to returning Filipinos as well as in mega swabbing facilities and local government units due to PhilHealth's over P930-million debt.
Caroling ban backed
Joint Task Force COVID Shield Commander Guillermo Eleazar said Sunday he supports a proposal to ban caroling this Christmas to prevent further transmission of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eleazar said caroling has always been part of the Filipino tradition, but the country is now facing a different situation due to the pandemic.
“We are facing a serious threat of coronavirus disease and we in the JTF COVID Shield believe that it is in the health interest of everybody if we could just stay home and enjoy the yuletide season with our family,” he said.
Videoke discouraged
The Department of Health on Sunday warned the public against videoke singing during Christmas as there is a high risk of transmitting COVID-19 through it Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told the state-run Laging Handa public briefing that a recent study had found that singing released the highest load of viral transmission compared to talking and breathing.
But the party-favorite activity could be allowed if done among family members.
The department earlier encouraged virtual parties during the Christmas season to make celebrations safer and reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19.
New COVID total
The Philippines on Sunday logged 2,442 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 396,395, the DOH reported even as 13 labs failed to submit reports.
“A total of 13 labs were not able to submit their data to the COVID-19 Data Repository System on Nov. 7, 2020,” the department said.
Smoking discouraged
The Department of Health and the Philippine Pediatric Society on Sunday discouraged smoking to further protect the public from the spread of COVID-19.
Vergeire said discouraging the use of tobacco has always been part of the department’s campaigns and has been one of its health priorities due to its long-term adverse effects.
“It has been challenging to push for total tobacco cessation among the public, but we are not giving up. This is why it is part of the department’s health priorities that are being championed by the Health Promotion Bureau,” Vergeire said.