Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 15) – The Philippine National Police on Thursday said it is now looking into the reported sale of falsified negative COVID-19 test results.
PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said he has tasked the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group as well as the Anti-Cybercrime Group to track down and arrest those behind the illegal activity.
The police said negative RT-PCR test results, which may be required for travel to some destinations, are allegedly being sold for ₱1,000 each even to persons who didn’t undergo the swab test.
Eleazar urged the public not to engage in such transactions which undermine efforts to curb coronavirus spread and to immediately report to authorities any information on the scheme.
“We are asking for the public’s cooperation so that we can quickly arrest the culprits and shut down this activity, which is not only illegal but poses a danger to public health,” he said.
The country continues to tally thousands of new COVID-19 cases daily and up to over a hundred deaths a day, as it also faces threats from new and more contagious virus variants. To date, over 1.48 million people nationwide have fallen ill with the disease, while the death toll has climbed to over 26,000.
