A Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) official said on Saturday, August 7, that the department may request for about P6.71 billion in the proposed Bayanihan 3 for the hiring of the additional 25,000 contact tracers as part of the government's coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) response.
In an interview over GMA News, DILG Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III said the move is to attain the ideal contact tracing ratio of 1:800.
“Kung may Bayanihan 3, mukhang hihingi kami ng around P6.71 billion para maka-hire ng additional 25,000 contact tracers for the whole of 2022 (If there is Bayanihan 3, it is likely that we will request around P6.71 billion to hire additional 25,000 contact tracers for the whole of 2022),’’ Densing said.
Densing said in addition to this the local government units (LGUs) should hire their own contact tracers to help the government identify the potential carriers of the coronavirus.
“Dapat ang mga lokal na gobyerno may sarili silang contact tracers at dahil kulang ang kanilang pondo ‘di nila nabubuo ang tamang numero ng contact tracer, one contact tracer per 800 population, hindi natutupad (The local government units should have their own contact tracers and because of financial constraints, they are not able to come up with the desired number of contact tracers which is one contact tracer per 800 population),’’ Densing said.
On August 6, the DILG commended President Duterte for approving the P1.7 billion budget for the re-hiring of 15,000 contact tracers (CTs) whose services will be extended until the end of the year. Following the President’s approval, Año instructed the DILG regional offices to rehire the 15,000 contact tracers.
“The national government and the LGUs are in this grueling mission together to protect our people from the virus and to prevent its spread. Kapit-kamay tayo at walang iwanan hanggang sa tayong lahat ay makabangon na mula sa pandemyang ito (We join hands and no one should be left out up to the point where all has risen from the pandemic),’’ Año said.
Año noted it is crucial for the DILG to maintain the LGUs’ pool of trained contact tracers in order to ensure that the contact tracing operations in the country are sustained and that the government’s investment in the training of CTs is optimized.