DILG deploys additional contact tracers to NCR amid COVID-19 surge

FILE – A contact tracing team of the City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (CESU) of the Quezon City government conducts house to house tracing of possible COVID-19 patients in Brgy. Baesa. INQUIRER/GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has deployed an additional 802 contact tracers in the National Capital Region (NCR) as part of the government’s response due to the COVID-19 surge.

In a statement on Thursday, DILG Undersecretary and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said that the Philippine National Police (PNP) will deploy an additional 362 uniformed personnel to the local government units (LGU) contact tracing teams in Metro Manila to supplement their existing local contract tracing effort.

Some 40 PNP contact tracers were deployed in Quezon City; 34 in Pasay; 30 each in Caloocan and Manila; 25 in Makati; 20 in Taguig; 18 in Las Piñas; 17 each in Valenzuela, Muntinlupa and Mandaluyong, 16 each in Pasig and Malabon; 15 each in Parañaque and San Juan; 14 in Marikina; 12 in Navotas and 10 in Pateros. While 16 from the Nothern Police District (NPD) were reserved in Camanava (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela), Malaya said.

Malaya also said that DILG officer in charge Bernardo Florece has directed the various police regional offices across the country to assign at least 20 personnel each to do remote contact tracing as may be required by the Metro Manila LGUs.

“The police regional offices will be assigned to each of the LGUs and they will help in making calls and monitoring the status of COVID positives,” he said.

The deployment of the 802 contact tracers is on top of the 300 contact tracers to be deployed by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to the various LGUs, Malaya said.

“The Metro Manila LGUs are also doing their hiring so we have a sufficient number of contact tracers to meet our needs,” he said.

In January 2021, the DILG deployed 2,381 contact tracers to the NCR for a six-month contract until June.

“The DILG utilized the unreleased balance from the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act and the P500 million contact tracing budget in the 2021 General Appropriations Act for the hiring of the additional contact tracers,” DILG said.

To date, NCR has a total of 9,386 contact tracers organized in 2,130 contact tracing teams. The City of Manila has the most number of contact tracers at 2,675 members. – Liezelle Soriano Roy, Trainee

EDV