MANILA, Philippines—The telecommunications sector can now apply for the government’s RapidPass System (RPS), which gives front liners and authorized personnel convenient access through quarantine checkpoints inside Metro Manila.
The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has issued Memorandum Order 06-04-2020 to implement the system for the said sector, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said Tuesday in a statement. This sector includes Public Telecommunication Entities (PTEs), Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Value-Added Service Providers (VASPs), Cable TV Networks (CATVs), and other Pay TV services and their third-party contractors.
“Internet and mobile services have become indispensable in our daily lives during this community quarantine. With RapidPass, we hope to fast track movement and access of telco and ISP personnel so that they may continue to do their duties, especially in ensuring unhampered services to the Filipino people,” DICT Secretary Gregorio Honasan II said.
The memorandum comes in line with the guidelines of the DICT-led Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases – Technical Working Group for the RPS (IATF-TWG-RPS) regarding the implementation of the system.
“These entities should apply for their essential and skeletal workforce through a bulk application. Individual applications filed directly to the RapidPass website by individuals belonging to the covered entities will be denied. The companies are required to accomplish a spreadsheet, RapidPass Form, and an Attestation Form (downloadable from https://dict.gov.ph/RapidPass) and should email this to the NTC at ntc@rapidpass.ph,” the DICT instructed.
“NTC’s Regulation Branch or Broadcast Services Division shall verify the completeness of the applications, ensure the personnel listed are appropriately considered as Allowed Persons Outside of Residence (APOR), and determine the appropriate number of RapidPasses to be issued. Once approved, the RapidPass Forms shall be uploaded to the Rapid Pass System for processing and RapidPass QR Code generation,” it added.
The RPS aims to speed up vehicle inspections and limit contact between quarantine exempted individuals and personnel manning checkpoints to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), according to the IATF. The system employs QR (quick response) codes and control numbers as checkpoint passes.
The Department of Science and Technology commissioned the creation of the RPS by its partner, the non-profit organization, Developers Connect, Inc., which is made up of Filipino developers and IT professionals.