DILG rehires 90 contact tracers for Lapu-Lapu

In this October 2020 photo from the Lapu-Lapu PIO, almost 300 hired contact tracers undergoes a one-day seminar about their contact tracing jobs in Lapu-Lapu City.

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu—The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has rehired 90 contact tracers who will be assigned to Lapu-Lapu City.

Jonah Pino, the officer in charge of the DILG in Lapu-Lapu City, said that the rehired contact tracers will start to work on Tuesday, February 9, 2021, and will serve for six months.

Last year, the DILG also hired 296 contact tracers for Lapu-Lapu City and they served for three months. Their contracts ended on December 30, 2020.

Read: 298 contact tracers to start contact tracing work in Lapu-Lapu

The DILG got the 90 from the 296 who were hired before. They were ranked based on their performances last year and the first 90 in the ranking were the ones rehired.

Each contact tracer will receive a salary of not less than P18,000.

“Probably the national government sees nga nagkataas gyud ang kaso, so there is a need nga mo-hire ug contact tracers to augment in the city,” Pino said.

(Probably the national government sees that the number of cases is rising, so there is a need to hire contact tracers to augment in the city.)

Grace Carungay, head of the Lapu-Lapu  City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit, welcomed this development because contact tracers play an important role in their battle against the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

“Nagplano unta to ang LGU, ang city, nga mo-hire ug contact tracers isip abag sa swabbing team ug contact tracing team nga existing sa City Health Office. Pero nitubag man ang DILG nga mohatag sila ug 90, mao nga dili lang sa ta mo-hire kay duna ma’y rehiring sa DILG,” Carungay said.

(The city was planning to hire contact tracers to help the swabbing team and the contact tracing team of the City Health Office. But the DILG answered and said it will give 90 contact tracers so we don’t need to hire anymore.) 

Carungay added that they will also utilize the contact tracers in locating Returning Overseas Filipinos (ROFs) who will arrive at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA).

Earlier, the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) Board has issued a memorandum order, asking the LGU to withdraw their help desk situated at the airport.

/bmjo