Photo Release

Do We Have Enough Contact-Tracers? : Sen. Francis Pangilinan, interpellating on the proposed 2021 budget of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Tuesday, November 17, 2020, stresses that contract-tracing is a “game changing” approach to address the spread of the novel coronavirus disease. Pangilinan inquired if the department has hired and trained enough contact tracers. Sen. Sonny Angara, chairman of the Committee on Finance sponsoring the DILG budget, said that under Bayanihan II, P5 billion was allotted to hire and train 50,000 contact tracers by the DILG. Of the target, 46,338 have already been hired and this was augmented by the local government units. In all, there are 257,000 contract tracers across the nation with a ratio of 1:420 which, in the view of the DILG, is sufficient enough to address the Covid-19 crisis. (Screen grab/Senate PRIB)