The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Friday said that as of October 1 an initial batch of 10,136 contact tracers (CTs) from the 55,000 applicants all over the country have been hired.
DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año said that the hiring process of the 50,000 additional CTs is in full swing with more than 47,000 applications being processed in the DILG Field Offices all over the country.
The hiring of the additional CTs is mandated under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2 Law).
“The hiring of CTs is being expedited as time is of the essence in our fight against COVID-19. Ngayon, higit sa 10k na ang ating na-hire (Now we have hired more than 10,000) and we intend to hit our commitment to employ the 50k CTS prescribed in the Bayanihan 2 Law before the end of this month,” Año said.
“Hindi tumitigil ang mga tanggapan ng DILG sa mga highly urbanized cities at probinsya sa pag-proseso at pagtanggap ng mga aplikante (The DILG in the highly urbanized cities and provinces have not stopped in the hiring and acceptance of applicants),” he added.
Año noted “there is great interest from prospective applicants nationwide as more than 55,000 applicants submitted the requirements.’’
“Of this number, 47,000 are currently being processed by the DILG “and we are expecting to receive more applications in the coming days,” Año said.
The DILG announced that no deadline was set for the hiring of the 50k (50,000) CTs nationwide and has resorted to the continuous hiring to fill up and employ personnel for the remaining slots.
“What’s important to us is to fill up the slots and recruit the most number of CTs as provided in the Bayanihan 2 Law so those who met the deadline set earlier are now being processed but we will continue to accept applications until we have met our targets,” DILG Undersecretary and Spokesperson Jonathan E. Malaya said.
He explained that the first batch of 10,000 CTs currently hired have now started to undergo training prior to their deployment to the communities where they will be assigned.
“Hindi naman po natin sila isasabak nang basta-basta ng walang training (We will not just deploy them without the proper training),” Malaya said.
He said that the DILG is looking for CTs aged 21-45 years old with a Bachelor’s degree or college level in an allied medical course or criminology course but if none available any course will do.
Applicants must submit their Diploma or Transcript of Records (TOR) to prove their educational attainment.
“We are looking for the most fit and qualified individuals for the job dahil very challenging ang kanilang magiging trabaho for the next three months (since their work will be very challenging in the next three months). Their work on the ground is crucial in our battle against COVID-19,” Malaya said.
In case the TOR or Diploma is not available, a certification from the university will suffice.
While the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearance is under process, Malaya the DILG will accept a police clearance in the meantime.
The aspirants must also be skilled in data gathering and have assisted in research and documentation; able to interview COVID-19 cases and close contacts in order to gather data; possess the ability to advocate public health education messages; and have investigative capability.
“Applicants are also required to submit a letter of intent, Personal Data Sheet, National Bureau of Investigation Clearance, drug test results and other documents to all DILG Provincial and City Field Offices nationwide or visit their websites for the posting of vacancies,’’ the DILG statement noted.
Under the guidelines drafted by the DILG, CTs will earn a minimum of P18,784 per month in a contract of service status.