Interior Secretary Eduardo Año. INQUIRER.net file photo / NOY MORCOSO
MANILA, Philippines — After President Rodrigo Duterte approved its funding, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) ordered the rehiring of 15,000 contact tracers to help curb COVID-19 amid the threat of the more infectious Delta variant.
“Hanggang maaari, irenew na lang natin ang kontrata ng 15k contact tracers dahil alam at sanay na sila sa trabaho. Besides, we have no time to spare and every second matters dahil mabilis ang pagkalat ng virus,” Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said in a statement on Friday.
(As much as possible, we have to renew the contracts of the 15,000 contact tracers because they know and are used to the work. Besides, we have no time to spare and every second matters since the virus rapidly spreads.)
The DILG earlier requested for an additional P1.7 billion to extend the contact tracers’ contracts, set to lapse this August, for another five months.
Senator Christopher “Bong” Go announced early Friday that Duterte gave a green light on the agency’s request.
READ: Duterte OKs fund for rehiring of 15,000 contact tracers until December
“On behalf of our local government units (LGUs), lubos kaming nagpapasalamat kay Pangulong Duterte sa karagdagang pondo para magpatuloy ang serbisyo ng 15k contact tracers. Sa panahon ngayon na tumataas na naman ang mga kaso ng COVID-19 at sa pagsulpot ng mga panibagong variants, kailangan natin sila para patuloy nilang tuntunin at tukuyin ang mga close contacts ng COVID-19 positive cases,” Año added.
(On behalf of our local government units (LGUs), we deeply thank President Duterte for the additional fund to continue the services of the 15,000 contact tracers. At this time where COVID-19 cases rise and new variants emerge, we need them to continue their services and identify the close contacts of COVID-19 positive cases.)
Without the continued services of the 15,000 contact tracers, the nationwide contact tracing personnel will dip by 13 percent, decreasing the operational capacity to only 72 percent, Año explained.
RELATED STORIES
Duterte OKs P10B fund for P1k ‘ayuda’ per qualified NCR resident
Duterte approves use of P2.5 billion from contingency fund to pay for vaccines