DOLE to add P65M budget to hire 1,000 more contact tracers in NCR

(FILE) URGENT NEED Applicants for the job of contact tracers are interviewed at the Unibersidad de Manila. —RICHARD A. REYES

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will allot an additional P65 million for the hiring of around 1,000 more contact tracers in Metro Manila, Secretary Silvestre Bello III said Friday.

In an online media forum, Bello said he had ordered the DOLE’s Bureau of Workers With Special Concerns to hire an additional 1,000 contact tracers as there are over 10,000 applicants to the only 4,700 contact tracer posts initially identified by the department.

This means the P230 million budget for the contact tracers will also increase.

“Siguro mga P65 million. P65 million ang idadagdag doon sa P230 [million]. Magiging P295 million siguro lahat,” the Labor Secretary added.

(Maybe we will add P65 million. Some P65 million will augment the P230 million budget. The overall budget will be P295 million.)

Bello said that with the additional manpower, there will now be around 6,000 individuals to be hired as contact tracers.

The DOLE earlier said that the new contact tracers will be employed under its Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers or TUPAD program, which provides emergency employment for displaced workers, underemployed, and seasonal workers.

“They will work for three months as contact tracers, and as contact tracers, they will be paid P15,000 plus every month so magkakaroon naman sila ng mga P45,000 as contact tracers for three months,” Bello said.

(They will work for three months as contact tracers, and as contact tracers they will be paid P15,000 plus per month so they will have around P45,000 as contact tracers for three months.)

He added that the deployment of contact tracers was referred to Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Benhur Abalos and Interior Undersecretary Bernardo Florece Jr.

According to Bello, Florece has expressed openness to deploy some of the contact tracers to other areas where COVID-19 cases are also high.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government earlier said the new contact tracers will be hired and trained for deployment to local government units in Metro Manila starting May 1.

/MUF