AN illegal COVID-19 RT/PCR drive-thru clinic in Pasig City was smashed by agents of the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) and the local police last Wednesday, PNP-CIDG director, Major General Albert Ignatius D. Ferro said.

The official said seven employees of the unauthorized drive-thru clinic were arrested during the operation in Barangay Ugong conducted by members of the CIDG Quezon City District Field Unit with the assistance of the Pasig City Police Station and the Philippine Air Force’s intelligence service.

Ferro identified the arrested suspects as usherette Joy Tejas,23; swabber Anna Farinah Sacampong,31; booking secretary Katrina Pangilinan,22; medical technician Michelle Mangulabnan,26; medical secretary Richel Ramirez,24; cashier Keno Angelo Cruz,21; and office Manager Analyn Bueno,42.

In a report to PNP chief, General Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar, Ferro said the suspects were arrested shortly after a CIDG undercover office was able to book an online appointment for a swab test at the Bay-2 FASTLAB located at the Metrowalk parking lot in Pasig City.

During the sting conducted 12:45 p.m. last Monday, Sacampong demanded a P3,800 payment from the poseur for the swab test. Shortly after payment was made and a receipt was issued, the arrests were made.

Ferro said that during investigation, the accused failed to produce a License to Operate a COVID-19 Swab Testing Facility from the Department of Health (DOH).

The company only had a license to operate as a clinical laboratory.

Recovered during the operation were P3,800 in marked bills, the official receipt under the name of FASTLAB, a customer booking list, 10 Case Investigation Forms, an Antigen (Line List) and RT-PCR test results, a FASTLAB price list, a box containing eight VTM Biobase, a box containing nine FINA Antigen Kits, a box containing 11 VTM Zybio, 105 Sterile Collection Swas, an Antigen Analyzer, a logbook for Rapid Test Kits inventory, two specimens found inside a cooler, the seven suspect’s company identification cards, and a bag containing hazardous medical wastes.

Ferro said they launched the operation following a report that the Metrowalk-based clinical laboratory is providing COVID-19 RT/PCR tests without authorization from the DOH and whose services are advertised through their Official Facebook page.

The police official added that the DOH certified that the FASTLAB is not licensed to operate as a COVID-19 Testing Laboratory and has not submitted application to the agency.

The arrested employees admitted that they only had a Memorandum of Agreement ( MOA) with Ateneo Molecular Pathology Laboratory but failed to submit it nor notified the DOH.

Ferro said that the seven were found to be working for an unauthorized mobile laboratory group involved in the illegal operation of a Drive-thru Mobile laboratory collecting COVID-19 RT-PCR test.

A case for violation of Republic Act 4688 in relation to DOH Administrative Order Number 2007-0027 will be filed against the accused.

“While the whole country is still struggling against the pandemic, there are those who try to profit from it and putting our communities into more danger due to their unauthorized activities, and so, we at the CIDG will be in the forefront to stop them through our relentless police operations,” said Ferro.