PH Red Cross partners with ‘The Outlets at Lipa’ for its first drive-thru saliva test collection site in Lipa City
To further support the country’s mass testing efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) has partnered with ‘The Outlets at Lipa’ to offer drive-in saliva RT-PCR test collection.
With the convenient location of ‘The Outlets at Lipa’ in LIMA Estate, strict COVID-19 protocols, and wide open spaces, the employees at the industrial hub as well as residents of Lipa and neighboring areas can now take advantage of a more convenient, less-invasive, and safer way to get tested. The collection process only takes about 10 minutes and costs PhP 2,000.
“We, at The Outlets at Lipa, are very happy to do our part in helping Batangueños combat the spread of COVID-19. Through this partnership, we offer our mall as a convenient place to do saliva test collection with all safety protocols in place,” said Rob Del Rosario, National Operations Head of Aboitiz InfraCapital’s Commercial Business Unit.
Philippine Red Cross Chairman Sen. Richard Gordon also emphasized the importance of testing along with the vaccine rollout.
“We are heading towards the nationwide rollout of Saliva RT-PCR Testing to help schools and industries open in this new normal. Kahit dumating na ang bakuna, mahalaga pa rin ang pagte-test para labanan ang virus. Kaya patuloy na gumagawa ang Red Cross ng paraan upang mapadali at mapabilis ang testing sa ating mga kababayan (Even if the vaccines arrive, it is still important to get tested to fight the virus. This is why Red Cross continues to find ways to make testing easier and quicker for our countrymen)”, Sen. Gordon said.
“Testing is still the key. Kung hindi tayo gagalaw, maghihirap lalo ang mga Pilipino (If we don’t act now, all the more Filipinos will suffer). With these drive-thru centers, accurate testing will be much quicker and easier,” he added.
Clients may book their appointments online at 143.redcross.org.ph and select ‘The Outlets at Lipa’ in the map. Fill out the form, choose a time slot, and proceed to checkout. Payment options include credit card, GCash, or GrabPay. Customers may also call PRC – Lipa Chapter at (0998) 957-0443 and pay through bank transfer.
On site, clients are limited to 10 people per hour to minimize and control the crowd. There are currently two PRC volunteers assigned at ‘The Outlets’ – one encoder and one specimen collector.
Results will be sent directly to the email address provided by the client during registration within 12 to 40 hours after the test.
The site is open from Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
‘The Outlets at Lipa’ is one of Luzon’s largest outlet shopping destinations located within LIMA Estate in Lipa-Malvar, Batangas. LIMA Estate is a 700-hectare Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) – registered economic zone that is home to 127 locators, 167 retail and restaurants spaces, 138-room four-star hotel, a transportation hub, over 2,000 households, and more than 58,000 employees.
