Boracay restaurant, hotel workers applied as contact tracers —DILG

Restaurant and hotel workers rendered jobless by COVID-19 in Boracay are applying as contact tracers, the Department of the Interior and Local Government said Saturday.

Interviewed on Dobol B sa News TV on Saturday, DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said many have also applied for the contact tracing job in the provinces after getting displaced.

"Kagabi (Friday) po noong nandu'n kami sa Kongreso, si [Aklan second district Congressman Teodoro] Haresco gave us the application papers of so many employees ng mga restaurants, hotels sa Boracay na nawalan ng trabaho na gustong maging contact tracer," Malaya said.

"At kailangang kailangan po nila, dahil kapag nagsibalikan ang mga turista sa Boracay, mas tataas ang need for contact tracers," he added.

Malaya said additional contact tracers will be deployed should there be a lack of applicants in Region 6, especially in Aklan.

Over two million local workers have been displaced after the government imposed community quarantines to prevent the further spread of COVID-19, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported in April.

After the signing by President Rodrigo Duterte of the "Bayanihan to Recover as One Act" or Bayanihan 2 Law, the DILG in September started the hiring and training of at least 50,000 contact tracers nationwide.

Applicants must have a Bachelor’s degree or college level in an allied medical course or criminology course.

They must also be skilled in data gathering and have assisted in research and documentation; able to interview COVID-19 cases and close contacts in order to gather data; possess the ability to advocate public health education messages, and have the investigative capability.

Aspirants are required to submit a letter of intent, Personal Data Sheet, National Bureau of Investigation Clearance, and drug test results.

They should also submit their application and documents to DILG Provincial and City Field Offices nationwide or visit their websites for the posting of vacancies.

Under the guidelines drafted by the DILG, the contact tracers will earn a minimum of P18,784 monthly in a contract-of-service status.

On Friday, the DILG said the first batch of 10,136 contact tracers from the more than 55,000 who had applied have already been hired. —LBG, GMA News