LGUs to recruit contact tracers under DOLE's TUPAD —Bello

Local government units can now recruit contact tracers under the labor department's Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced (TUPAD) workers program.

According to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Secretary Silvestre Bello III earlier gave regional directors the discretion to approve requests of local executives to tap TUPAD beneficiaries as contact tracers in their respective areas.

"In our meeting with the DILG, I already told Acting Secretary Florence that he can allocate to any LGU the number of contact tracers to be employed under our TUPAD program," Bello was quoted as saying in a statement.

He was referring to Undersecretary Bernardo Florence Jr. who was designated as acting Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government in March.

TUPAD is a community-based package of assistance that seeks to provide emergency employment for displaced workers. They are hired for a 10 to 30 days, depending on the nature of work to be performed. The DOLE has allotted an initial amount of P232 million for 4,754 contact tracers this year.

"Since the DILG has problems funding the contact tracing of LGUs, I though it wise to offer our TUPAD program for that purpose," said Bello.

"In this manner, we are not only providing emergency employment to our displaced workers but also helping the urgent need of the community to stop the spread of the disease through contact tracing," he added.

Prior to contact tracing, TUPAD supported social community projects such as repair and improvement of public infra, economic community projects such as rehabilitation of roads and bridges, and agro-forestry community projects such as tree planting and reforestation.

Bello initially offered 14,000 TUPAD beneficiaries as contact tracers for the requirements of LGUs in the National Capital Region and the provinces of Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite, and Laguna for a duration of one month.

Mayors of the LGUs, however, requested that contact tracers be employed for three months.

The Philippines on Saturday, April 17, reported 11,101 new confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, bringing the total to 926,052. This includes a record-high 203,710 active cases; 706,532 recoveries; and 15,810 deaths. —LBG, GMA News