Cebu City retains 230 contact tracers up to June

CEBU, Philippines —  The Cebu City Council has approved a resolution charging P18.7 million under the Quick Response Fund of the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management 2022 for the manpower augmentation for contact tracer personnel to all clusters in the city’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

Councilor Joel Garganera, EOC deputy chief implementer, sponsored a resolution regarding the matter which was approved by the council.

The amount is for the 230 job order personnel designated as emergency medical responders with a rate of P520, covering the period of January to June 2022.

The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) also passed a resolution for the same purpose.

“Second paragraph, Section 21 of the Republic Act No. 10121, otherwise known as the ‘Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010’, states that of the amount appropriated for LDRRMF, thirty percent (30%) shall be allocated as Quick Response Fund (QRF) or stand-by fund for relief and recovery programs in order that situation and living conditions of people in communities or areas stricken by disasters, calamities, epidemics, or complex emergencies, may be normalized as quickly as possible,” read CDRRMC Resolution No. 20 series of 2022.

Garganera said the EOC aims to expand the public health workforce of the city in providing case investigation, contact tracing, active monitoring, and vaccination drive.

During the discussion portion on Garganera’s resolution, Councilor Nestor Archival Sr. questioned the need for 230 contact tracers considering the present COVID-19 situation in the city.

Garganera, however, explained that the city government needs to have these personnel as part of the preparation in case a spike would happen in the next months since many gatherings are being conducted because of the election season.

“Our COVID contact tracer hired by DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government) was only up to December last year, so when Omicron arrived, that is where we hired these 230 contact tracers,” said Garganera.

Since cases in the city are currently low, Garganera said they are now deployed to the different barangays for vaccination, especially in the mountain barangays, to assist there.

“The contract is only up to June, so we have to have a contact tracer not because our cases are low but because we have to be ready all the time because we will never know what's in store for us in the coming months to come,” said Garganera.

Meanwhile, Councilor Alvin Dizon asked why it is only now that the EOC is asking for the approval of the budget for the 230 contact tracers given the fact that they were hired in January or three months ago.

Garganera said the processing of the salary must be improved, but stated that the delay was caused by Typhoon Odette which devastated the city.

Dizon said that the city should ensure that correct procedure is followed when hiring employees, and that the budget for them must be among the first to be considered. — GMR (FREEMAN)