BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Benjamin Magalong signed Ordinance 107-2020 on Friday, mandating the submission of personal “information slips” whenever one wishes to transact business, or simply look around establishments for record, monitoring and contact tracing purposes as part of the city’s coronavirus disease (COVID-19) response.
From flagging cabs or riding jitneys, to dining out, grocery shopping or simply going to malls, residents and visitors would be best prepared to have slips of paper containing their names, city addresses, and contacts for easy submission. Or else, they will not be permitted to do business.
Once submitted, residents can only hope that they do not receive phone calls, informing them they made contact with another person diagnosed with COVID-19.
Contact tracing, after all, is the very purpose the slips have been mandated.
But while slips contain dates when persons availed of services or visited establishments, it does not contain titles, positions or even pictures, fine points call cards contain.
The ordinance pointed out, logbooks placed at entrances of businesses and offices often do not show real information of residents.
The reasons, patrons either fear transmission using shared pens and papers; or, worry that their personal information fall to the wrong hands.
The ordinance provides a procedure for safekeeping of the info slips, under pain of legal sanctions when supposed keepers mishandle information contained in it.
Magalong informed the public that personal information on logbooks or info slips of establishments and public transportation are covered by the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and should only be used for contact tracing of COVID-19 patients.
The use of information in the slips for unauthorized purposes, whether intended or by negligence, shall be penalized under general penal laws and the Data Privacy Act of 2012.