UNIFIED TRACING. Mayors Rex Gatchalian of Valenzuela City (left) and Joric Gacula II of Taytay virtually sign the contact tracing network consortium agreement on Friday (June 25, 2021). The unified digital contact tracing system that also includes Antipolo, Mandaluyong, and Pasig will be in effect starting June 28. (Screengrab from Valenzuela-PIO Facebook livestream)
MANILA – The Taytay Trail contact tracing app is now integrated with ValTrace, Antipolo Bantay Covid-19, MandaTrack, and PasigPass.
The local governments of Pasig, Valenzuela, and Antipolo, Mandaluyong, and now Taytay have partnered for the unified use of their contact tracing applications to boost efforts against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
Taytay Mayor George Joric Gacula II signed a contact tracing network consortium agreement with the four local government units (LGUs), allowing the use of their quick response (QR) codes in the four cities to expand the monitoring and contact tracing of patients.
"Napakalaking tulong nito upang gawing maging epektibo ang hakbangin na ginagawa ng pamahalaang bayan ng Taytay. Isa lamang ito sa mga hakbang na ating patuloy na ginagawa kontra Covid-19 at nakakatuwang isipin na buo ang suporta ng ating mga kalapit bayan laban dito (This is a huge help for us to effectively implement steps being done by the local government of Taytay. This is one of our initiatives to fight against Covid-19 and it is good to know that our neighboring cities are fully supporting our battle against the pandemic),” Gacula said during the virtual signing on Friday.
Beginning June 28, one QR code is enough for use in the four cities and Taytay.
Antipolo Mayor Andrea Ynares welcomed the new developments and urged other LGUs to join the unified initiative.
“Nakakatuwa po na dumadami na ang mga LGUs na kasama sa consortium na ito. ‘Ika nga po, when there is unity, there is always victory. Sana po hindi Taytay ang huling LGU na i-we-welcome natin sa kasunduang ito (It's exciting that there are increasing numbers of LGUs joining this consortium. As they say, when there is unity, there is always victory. We hope that Taytay is not the last LGU that we will welcome in this agreement),” she said.
With emerging Covid-19 variants, Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian cited the effectiveness of the contact tracing interconnectivity as the nation continues to improve on its response strategies.
Gatchalian said the consortium will not only push for more efficient tracing efforts but will also offer convenience to the residents who will no longer have to download several QR codes.
"Ibig sabihin, isang QR code lang gagana na sa Pasig, Antipolo, Mandaluyong, Valenzuela and ngayon sa Taytay (That's means, only one QR code will work in Pasig, Antipolo, Mandaluyong, Valenzuela, and now in Taytay)," he said.
Mandaluyong Mayor Menchie Abalos encouraged other local chief executives in Metro Manila and nearby provinces to join the contact tracing consortium while Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto said the deal is both convenient and safe for users.
All data provided through the system are securely sent to the City Epidemiology and Surveillance Units (CESUs), Sotto explained.
"Wala na pong hassle, mas mabilis na po. At bukod pa rito, ang pinaka-importante ay mas magagamit ng CESU ang ating mga datos (There's no hassle at all, much faster. Aside from this, the most important is that our data can be effectively used by our CESU)," he said.
The digital contact tracing solution is smoother and safer than manual registration, he added.
Gatchalian reassured the public that digital contact tracing solutions, as well as the network consortium, have safety nets and adequate safeguards which are covered by the data-sharing agreement under Republic Act 10173, or the Data Privacy Act of 2012.
All sensitive data and information provided under the agreement will remain confidential.
The "no QR code, no entry" policy has been implemented in various business establishments nationwide. (PNA)
