BAGUIO CITY – The Department of Interior and Local Government Cordillera urged local government units (LGUs) the public and other sectors to use StaySafe.Ph to strengthen the detection and slow down the surge of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the region.
“The implementation of StaySafe.ph is a government initiative to increase efforts to track down close contacts of individuals who have tested positive for c Covid-19,” said Araceli San Jose, DILG CAR OIC-Regional Director.
The Cordillera Regional Inter-Agency Task Force (RIATF) reaffirms its adoption of StaySafe.PH system as the official social distancing, COVID-19 health condition reporting, and contact training system of the government in compliance with IATF Resolution No. 109, series of 2021.
“The StaySafe.Ph contact tracing system mobile application is intended to be the default application for all Filipinos, especially when traveling, visiting establishments and offices and going to work which is why we are urging everyone to adopt the use of this application,” OIC-RD San Jose said.
“The app will also complement the efforts of the country’s more than 250,000 contact tracers who do physical contact tracing,” she added.
Meanwhile, DILG Undersecretary and Spokesperson Jonathan Malaya stated in an official statement that the Stay Safe app will not be used for surveillance because it does not use GPS, but rather Bluetooth technology via the Google Apple Exposure Notification System.
“The system and its database is now in the hands of the DILG, which will ensure compliance with all laws, rules, and regulations. Stay Safe has also been reviewed by the National Privacy Commission, and it has passed their scrutiny,” he said.
He stated that the app educates the public about 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.
The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) made the use of the StayStay.ph app mandatory for national government agencies and local government units (LGUs) in November 2020. By Pamela Mariz T. Geminiano
