CALOOCAN CITY, March 30 (PIA) -- The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has renewed its call to all local government units (LGUs) and the general public to use and patronize the StaySafe.Ph application for digital contact tracing to boost the country’s contact tracing program amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases.
DILG Officer-In-Charge Bernardo Florece Jr. said that the online application is an effective tool for contact tracing nationwide to ensure consistent, and unified contact tracing reporting.
“Instead of using other apps, it is imperative for LGUs to use the StaySafe app for a unified system that will allow seamless, fast, and efficient contact tracing efforts,” Florece said during the MOA Signing and official turnover of the StaySafe app to the government through the DILG on Monday.
Florece said that while he appreciates the initiatives of LGUs and private companies in developing their own contact tracing systems, utilizing the StaySafe.Ph app will make it easier for government authorities and medical experts to keep track of the cases all over the country and carry out decisive actions to stem the rapid transmission of the virus.
“Hindi po puwedeng kanya-kanya tayo. We need a macro view of the situation on the ground so that we will be armed with up-to-date information that will aid us in implementing COVID-19 response policies and measures,” he said.
The DILG OIC said the app will also complement the efforts of the more than 250,000 contact tracers in the country who are doing physical contact tracing.
“We recognize that we need to further intensify our contact tracing initiatives especially at this time that we have a surge of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the help of StaySafe app and the dedicated efforts of our contact tracing teams nationwide, I believe that this can help in successfully tracking down the cases and their contacts and prevent the spread of the virus,” he said.
Present during the virtual turnover ceremony were representatives from the DILG, Multisys Technologies Corporation, Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) and the Department of Health (DOH)-Bureau of Epidemiology.
The Stay Safe app is currently being used by at least 15 million individual users and some 700 LGUs across the country. The DILG aims to reach at least 50 million users and connect all 1,634 city and municipal LGUs across the country.
Designed to aid in the management of COVID-19 cases by reminding people to maintain physical distance, as well as recording and monitoring COVID-19 symptoms, StaySafe.PH was developed by Multisys Technologies Corporation in collaboration with PLDT-Smart Group and PLDT Enterprise and the Interagency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) and the National Task Force on COVID-19.
The app engages the public against the spread of COVID-19 and aggregates all reports available in desktop and mobile versions, allowing the government to respond quickly to people's needs and make informed and timely decisions to keep Filipinos safe during the pandemic.
Among the LGUs now using this app are Caloocan, Muntinlupa and other local governments in Metro Manila. It is also being used now by top companies like SM Supermalls, McDonalds, Jollibee Foods Corporation, Alliance Global which includes Megaworld Corporation, Union Bank, Yuchengo Group of Companies including RCBC Bank, Filinvest, JG Summit which handles Robinsons Malls, Metrobank, Resto.ph, and Angkas.
To recall, in April 2020, the National Task Force on COVIDd-19 signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Multisys Technologies Corporation adopting StaySafe.Ph app as the country’s official contact tracing, health condition reporting, and social distancing system. (PIA NCR)
Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)
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