COVID-19 cases rose because IATF ignored DICT proposals -Rio

The recent increase in the confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country would not have happened if the government had implemented a central platform for all data available, former Information and Communications Technology undersecretary Eliseo Rio claimed Wednesday.

In a Facebook post, Rio alleged that the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) ignored recommendations concerning data utilization, and expressed anew his concerns over the selection of StaySafe.ph as the Philippines' sole contact tracing application.

"Last Sunday, June 7, I have to break my silence to reach out to the IATF that if they only depend on StaySafe as the government contact tracing app, we would never be able to flatten this pandemic curve which will mean more deaths and may damage our economy that may take years to recover," he said.

"It is also to point out to IATF that had they approved the Covid-19 Central Platform endorsed by both [DICT Secretary Gregorio] Honasan and [National Task Force against COVID-19 (NTF) chief implementer Secretary Carlito] Galvez submitted to them last April 29, this rise in the curve that we are experiencing now would not have happened. For the sake of our people and country, I hope IATF will listen this time," he added.

GMA News Online has reached out to Health Secretary and IATF chair Francisco Duque III for comment.

The Philippines has so far recorded a total of 23,732 confirmed cases of the coronavirus as of Wednesday, June 10. This includes 4,895 recoveries and 1,027 deaths.

There were a total of 8,212 confirmed cases on April 29, the date Rio said the recommendations were made to the IATF or the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases. Deaths then were recorded at 558, and recoveries at 1,023.

The IATF is led by the Department of Health (DOH), and counts as members the Departments of Agriculture (DA), Budget and Management (DBM), Foreign Affairs (DFA), Interior and Local Government (DILG), Justice (DOJ), Labor and Employment (DOLE), Tourism (DOT), Transportation (DOTr), and Trade and Industry (DTI).

According to Rio, he prepared an Oplan COVID-19 Central Platform in March, aimed to integrate and operationalize all data generated by different government agencies.

"I mobilized the ICT sector to be part of this Oplan and got support from UNDP in terms of software, hardware and IT expertise not only local, but from Singapore and South Korea, countries that have already flattened their curves. The Platform includes among others a data warehouse and a common dashboard of the NTF at no cost to the government," said Rio.

He said this was then endorsed by Honasan to the NTF, and was subsequently endorsed by Galvez to the IATF for approval on April 29.

However, Rio said, the endorsements were disregarded by the IATF, and the DICT presented before the lower house on May 12 a different "IATF COVID-19 ICT Ecosystem" that designated StaySafe.ph as the sole contact tracing application.

Rio over the weekend said he was "eased out" of his position after raising concerns about the app, developed by Multisys Technologies Corporation.

Multisys claims that the StaySafe.ph has been upgraded to hold up to 200 million users, and is currently being migrated to the DICT as part of the adoption of its pandemic mitigation system.

"I immediately brought my concern to Secretary Galvez, who even did not know that StaySafe, a private company, was made the Command and Control of his NTF," said Rio.

Rio said on May 13 Galvez proposed to the IATF the creation of an Information System Task Group, which would be led by the resigned DICT Undersecretary.

The group would be tasked to look at all COVID-19 applications and to assess their compatibility and scalability with the purpose of the government, and to ensure the privacy and security of all data collected.

"This time the IATF not only disregarded this proposal of Secretary Galvez, but my four-month resignation was accepted by the President," said Rio.

On May 22, according to Rio, he was then informed by presidential spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. that his four-month resignation had been accepted by President Rodrigo Duterte.

"Going back to the morning of May 22, I calmly accepted the President’s decision but I knew then that it was this unreasoned interest on StaySafe that led to it. However, at that time, I said to my self that StaySafe might become effective after all as a contact tracing app," he said.

"But when movement of people became more free due to modifications on the ECQ on June 1, I was so alarmed the pandemic curve was rising steeply up than going down," added Rio. — BM/NB, GMA News