COMPENDIUM VOLUME 4

CONTACT TRACERS, OUR AGILE DEFENDERS: RecognizBiantgttlehfeieHlderHoeicroAecsts of the VOLUME 4

“We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.” ~ Ronald Reagan

They came from varied backgrounds, occupations, and personal circumstances. But they had one thing in common – they all heeded a “call to arms” as frontliners in the fight against COVID-19. Doing so, it would alter the trajectories of their lives, albeit temporarily, in the months following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of them were vacationing OFWs stranded in the country because of the lockdowns imposed by the countries where they worked, some were laid off from well-paying jobs as businesses shut down in their thousands, and still others found their career prospects dim with the downturn of the economy. Whatever their personal circumstances might be, over 1,000 people rose to the challenge of doing the arduous and oftentimes dangerous, even life-threatening work of Contact Tracing. But to describe Contact Tracing as simply “Contact Tracing” does not do justice to the work that Contract Tracers do; for in the field, they were more than that - they were a cadre of versatile, multi-tasking, go-to men and women who performed important work way beyond the job description and certainly beyond the call of duty. Awaiting the arrival of vaccines which at that time were still in development or undergoing randomized trials, Contact Tracing was then one of the very few tools health authorities had to combat COVID-19, a disease whose virulence and transmissibility placed it among the worst of pandemics in the history of mankind. The stories that Contact Tracers told are contained in this compendium with first and third-person accounts that chronicled the struggle they went through fighting an invisible enemy. They talk of long days and nights tracing those infected and their close contacts, in fair weather or foul, in safe neighborhoods and crime-ridden streets, in places near and far. Because of their work, the nation owes them a debt of gratitude that will be hard to redeem. The nation is safer and more secure knowing that ordinary Filipinos (that the Contact Tracers were) can do extraordinary things in times of peril and distress. Let’s honor them by reading their stories and drawing inspiration from their heroism MReAgRioIAnaLlODUireRcDtEoSr,LD.ILAGG-UNSCTRIN, CESO III

Table of Contents Contact tracers: Makati’s hidden heroes Page during the COVID-19 Pandemic 6 (Makati) 8 An Act of Volunteerism 10 (Malabon) 12 17 In Manila, COVID Response is Rapid Response 19 (Manila) 21 23 From The Frontliners: A Contact Tracer's Story (Muntinlupa) 25 It Takes a Village to Make Contact Tracing Work (Paranaque) Contact Tracing Beyond the Call of Duty (Navotas) Jolas and Paolo: Stories of Service (Pasig) Bulding a Roof Amid The Rain: A DILG-Hired Contact Tracer Success Story (Quezon City) An Accountant’s Journey of Self-Discovery (San Juan)

contact tracers, our agile defenders Recognizing the Heroic Acts of the Battlefield Heroes EDITORIAL TEAM Executive Director ATTY. ANMAALRYINAREReLd.gOiBtiUooARnrLsaDT-lE AiDnSZ-irCALeh.RcAi-teCGofOrURSTTEINZ, CESO V Chief, Local GovAesrsniHsmtEeaLnnEttNCRAae.pgV aioEbnRilaiZtlyODDSirAeevcetolorpment Division LGOO VI/IAOsIsIIisMtAanRtIAHDeRivaEOidsdSiiEo tAodnRritICOohrLie.fINLSuIiGgiNDE.C. Pilarta GrapDDhMMicOODIIeIIMsAiLAgBnREIaCR nOTdNPL.RaSy.OAoLuVItIOLATArtist

CONTACT TRACERS: MAKATI’S HIDDEN HEROES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC Makati recognizes the heroic acts of contact tracers and their vital role in ensuring that Makatizens, particularly those infected with COVID-19 and close contacts, are well-informed of their health status. Mayor Abby Binay considers contact tracers as hidden heroes of the pandemic since they work behind the scenes to gather information from persons who have tested positive for COVID-19. For Mayor Abby, contact tracing is a shared responsibility between the city government and Makatizens to prevent the virus from spreading in the community. The Makati City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (CESU) oversees the proper implementation of contact tracing efforts to provide assistance to people diagnosed with COVID-19 and ensure that those who have come into close contact with them are notified and given adequate information about what they should do after being exposed to the virus. CESU uses three methods for contract tracing: contact tracing through phone calls, house-to-house contact tracing, and contact tracing using QR codes. In the first method, contact tracers call COVID-19 positive individuals and iinnftoerrmviewtheedmanodfatshkeeidr ahbeoaultththsetiartculoss. ePceorsnotancstsw.hAoftehratvheatt,edsatteadwpillobseitievnecowdielldbien the Makati COVID-19 tracker, which the University of Makati (UMak) developed in 2020, to determine the contact details and location of individuals exposed to the COVID-19 patient. All information collected is confidential and protected during case investigation and contact tracing.

Makati also established a communication and encoding center at UMak last year to intensify contact tracing efforts. The center is equipped with around 100 computers and manned by around 50 contact tracers and encoders. Meanwhile, health personnel also do house-to-house contact tracing to look for COVID-19 positive individuals who have failed to answer calls from CESU. The third method uses a web-based, automated system. In 2021, Makati launched the U Make Makati Safe QR Code website to speed up and automate contact tracing and health declaration. Unlike the traditional method of filling out forms, individuals only need to scan QR codes using their mobile phones before entering the City Hall, Ospital ng Makati, health centers, and vaccination sites. If a COVID-19 positive individual tries to enter any of these facilities, the QR code system will automatically alert security personnel to prevent that person from entering the building. In addition, the Makati COVID-19 tracker and a geospatial software called ArcGIS are connected to the QR code system to help the city locate close contacts using the information in the Makatizen Card database. At present, Makati continues to think of innovative ways to help contact tracers and make their work more convenient, safe, efficient, and effective. The city has been in talks with business owners to fine-tune guidelines for implementing an ordinance that requires customers and clients to scan QR codes before entering establishments. Once the ordinance takes effect, it will be easier for the public to log sinambyestcimanen, iintgreQdRucceosdethseabnudrdtheen coiftycotnotaccotlletcratcdeartsadfurroinmgeCsOtVabIDli-s1h9mseunrtgse. sA.tNtohwe more than ever, Makati remains committed to protecting Makatizens and frontliners with the help of technology. Makati

MalabANoACnT OF VOLUNTERISM by Trixie Grace B Briones Since 2020, the DILG has been engaging the services of thousands of Contact Tracers all over the country. In the City of Malabon, Contact Tracing has been running for a month since October of 2020 with various activities supported by the National ainnodrLdoecratol Gporevevernnmt tehnet.sTphreeaodbjoefcCtOofVcIDo-n1t9acinttthraeccinogunistrtyo.isolate every close contact However, the hiring of Contact Tracers was on a contractual basis, consequently DILG and DOLE Contact Tracers had to work even after their contracts expire, without any assurance of their being re-hired or that the contract tracing program will even continue. Mr. Gerzon Tabian, a former DILG-Malabon Contact Tracer said “Kahit walang bayad tratrace pa rin kami ng mga COVID-19 Close Contact, pag di kami nakakapunta sa Barangay dahil wala pamasahe, tinatawagan na lang naming yung mga Close Contact para sa interview tapos binabato naming sa CESU.” Also, Ms. Bernadette Esguerra former DILG-Malabon CT Coordinator said “Napamahal na kami sa trabahong to kaya kahit tapos na ang contract namin nag vovolunteer para rin kami bilang Contact Tracer.”

Given the situation the Contact Tracers faced and despite their success in reducing the number of COVID-19 patients, CTs of Barangay Santulan used the social media platform Facebook to create the “Santulan Contact Tracing” page which aims to connect COVID-19 patients and Close Contacts with Malabon Contact Tracers without putting the former at risk of being identified and discriminated against. The page is also used to educate the Malabonians about COVID-19, vaccination information and IATF Guidelines. Mr. Gilbert Jimenez former DILG-Malabon CT Coordinator once said, “Being a Contact Tracer is a wonderful job, absolutely rewarding, emotionally, mentally, physically and socially. My whole being was transformed in order for me to cope with different people, in different places, and situations. I took the honor and privilege to be of service to all types of people from different walks of life regardless of their social status” Bcoeminpgeansvaotliuonnt.eTehrisishnoowtevaenr,edaisdynjootb,satospofnoermiserasDkILeGd-MtoalraebnodnerCaonstearcvticTerawceitrhsotuot provide their service for free because they (Contract Tracers) have become family; as Ms. Stephanie Federipe a former DILG-Malabon Contact Tracer said “Ang pagkakaroon ng isang team na nagdadamayan, nagtutulungan if may mga scenario na napakahirap ay nagiwan ng napakaraming aral sa bawat isa, nabuo din ang respeto naming sa isa’t-isa na siyang naging susi upang maging isang pamilya ang Contact Tracers, CESU at Barangay.” Because of their dedication, the Malabon CESU and PESO absorbed into their organization the former DILG-Malabon Contact Tracers who continuously worked as volunteers through the DOLE-Tupad Contact Tracing Program.

Manila IN MANILA, COVID RESPONSE IS RAPID RESPONSE Head, MabnyilaJeCsOsVeIDO-.1B9erVmaecjcoi,nMatDio, nPHAScAtiEon Center Aside from ramping up vaccination and increasing the bed capacity of the 6 LGU hospitals and the 14 Temporary Treatment and Monitoring Facilities (TTMFs) in addition to the Manila Field Hospital, by as much as 50%, the local government of Manila also stockpiles oxygen supply and medicines like Molnupiravir, Tocilizumab, and Remdesivir to name a few. But one of the best practices behind the strategy of the Manila Health Department- Manila Emergency Operation Center (MHD_MEOC) and BLGU was the prompt isolation of positive cases, immediate tracing of close contacts, and scaling up testing using rapid antigen kits. This quick response can only be done in coordination with the contact tracers. The activity takes around 24 hours or less from the onset of symptoms to TTMF isolation. A QR code system was developed by the MHD-MEOC to help facilitate this strategy, where cases identified in the process of active surveillance and information gathering through interviews of index patients and their close contacts are encoded by the contact tracers and transmitted in real-time to our main system at the MHD- MEOC.

implementation of granular lockdown once an EO is issued. Basic needs are provided by DSWD specifically, food boxes since that same list of patients is also shared with their office. Constant Risk communication and health education, which is a part of the QR code system is being initiated by the contact tracer to impart behavioral change needed in order to practice MPHS and the importance of getting vaccinated. This mechanism resulted in the decline of the cases seen, most evident in this recent omicron variant, where it started to show a dip in daily cases as early as the beginning of 2nd week after the initial surge. The QR code mechanism was facilitated by the almost 1,000 contact tracers hired under DILG and DOLE TUPAD programs. But the same derailed because of the dependence on the contact tracers most evidently during their end of contract and the host website’s capacity. This mechanism was being transferred to our BHWs and BHERTs so as to wean it from dependence to hired contact tracers and to help prepare for future “reporting and recording” once Covid 19 will be declared endemic. This can also be applied for other diseases and/ or health disasters and emergencies. The QR code mechanism help to make timely and precise decision especially activities to limit the spread of the pandemic through prompt isolation of cases. This checks the areas where clustering starts and immediate EO issued to implement granular lockdowns. Through this QR code, an online format is populated during the interview made by the contact tracers, and a GS is created at the back end, whereby designated encoders and IT at MEOC ensure data quality. Risk communication and Health education, as part of the QR code during interviews, benefited the population to make an informed decision on case management, the importance of MPHS dadishceiprelinnece,anisdolasteiolfn-a/wqauraernaentsisn,e bcootmhploeftiownh,icanhdnveaecdceindattioon.cTohmispleinmcuelnctateexsissteinlfg- protocols and guidelines issued by the government. This strategy is very dependent on a high number of contact tracers to act as interviewers and encoders to have the wanted effect of immediate isolation, granular lockdown implementation, and behavioral change. It is also dependent on gadgets (smartphones and the like gadget) and internet access at the point of contact with the patient. A web hosting subscription and a high-capacity depository are also needed.

FROM THE FRONTLINES: A CONTACT TRACER’S STORY by Maan D'asis Pamaran When COVID-19 hit and travel bans and lockdowns were declared, Mhiyaco Tenorio a cruise ship bar waiter, found himself landlocked. “At around August 2020, I read that they were looking for people to join the contact tracers of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), so I signed up.” He was interviewed online and was one of the 150 who received callbacks out of the 900 applicants. Tenorio, who was able to reach third year as a Psychology student at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Muntinlupa, also has a medical background as a n“Autrsfiinrsgta, iIdjuessttuwdaennttedatttohheaPveerpseotmueatlhHienlgptMoeddoic, abluCtewnhteenr iIngLoatsoPniñbaosa.rd, I learned so many things,” he shares. He is a team leader among the contact tracers of Barangay Sucat in Muntinlupa City. The training was virtual, modules were given, and an exam was held. At their orientation, aside from familiarizing them with the process of contact tracing, they were also cautioned to be prepared for the worst things that can happen on the job. “That worst thing happened to me already. To lose a patient that you were monitoring. You give them so much care and attention, but in the end mamamatay din pala,” he sighs. “Ang dami ko nang namatay na patients.” “Our scope of work is to respond, detect, report, isolate and treat. In Barangay Sucat, there are 14 contact tracers allotted. We are in the field most of the time to assist in swabbing patients or looking for those who have been reported as COVID-positive but gave the wrong information.” Contact tracing for those with incomplete or incorrect information goes through several channels. They coordinate with the assigned physician at the Sucat Health Center and the Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams or BHERT. “As a contact tracer, we are not under the barangay but under the DILG, we are just assigned to work together with the City Health Office. We work with the BHERT bcoencnauescetiotnhseywiatrheththeecoomnemsuwnihtoy,”ahree emxoprlaeinfsa.miliar with the territory and they have

There are different ways of finding the COVID patients. “The first way is through the LGU. We have a COVID hotline in Muntinlupa, and these are the people who self- report. It then becomes our job to find them. The City Health Office also receives reports of those who tested positive and are from Muntinlupa. Even if you are tested ionuarncoittyh.”er location, as long as you give your address as Muntinlupa, you are tagged in For the contact of these positive patients, there are what he calls “tiers.” The first tier contacts are the immediate family or household members. After that, they look into the workplace, and find those who have been in a conversation with the patient for more than 15 minutes without social distancing. These are now subject for swab tests, which is free in Muntinlupa. The third tier are those who are close contacts of their close contacts. “For every patient, you can get up to 32 contacts,” he says. When we go into an establishment, we fill up contact tracing forms either manually or via contact tracing apps. The former method was seen as clunky and ambiguous. A restaurateur who requested anonymity says that they really had no clear guidance on the implementation of the logbook. “I’m not entirely sure that there were specific requirements, we just had to copy what the mall was doing—asking people to give their name, address, phone number, and temperature. Everyone later on started doing QR codes and forms on Google sheets. We did that pretty fast. But since not everyone has QR capability, we still needed to have manual logs.” He also reveals that their logbooks were never checked nor collected. “We expected them to collect it only when there were reports, thankfully we got no actual reports, thus we never needed to be contacted.” When contact tracing apps were launched last year, restaurants and other establishments shifted to it immediately. Amy Uy of Davao Tuna Grill with branches at the food courts of SM, Robinsons Malls, Shangri-La Plaza, Gateway, Landmark, Market Market and Fisher Mall, says, “When the malls came up with the contact tracing kiosks where you flash your QR code with your personal details on, we didn’t know anymore how the data was handled or used. I believe this was a DILG directive and malls were asked to ensure compliance by all tenants.”

Muntinlupa The anonymous restaurateur adds, “The good thing about the StaySafePH app was it reduced the time anyone had to log in their details to as little as 10 seconds compared to 4 to 5 minutes on Google sheets. As a restaurant, it is our every intention to not inconvenience our guests at any point of the meal, including before entering the door. StaysafePH was a great upgrade from the Google sheets. The great thing about it is that if a customer uses it for the first time, they automatically make an account for the guest, so if they happen to be regulars, the next time, the process is even faster.” Tenorio says that the StaySafePH app was instrumental in tracking where mass transmission may have occurred. They were able to close down a supermarket in the area for disinfection because they were able to track through the app that a lot of positive cases originated from there. However, not everyone is truthful in their forms. “For dine-in customers, we actually require them to show proof of filling up the contact tracing form before the server can take any orders. This means if they try to fake their details, the server may not take their orders. When we did this, almost everyone started to follow.” Tenorio is also very strict when he encounters these individuals. “I was once in line at a drugstore, and there was a couple ahead of me. The lady was filling it out properly but her husband says, ‘Huwag mo na i-fill-up yan, hindi naman totoo yan.’ I accosted him and told him that there are many people who have already died, and that he has to take COVID seriously.”

Contact Tracing czar Gen. Benjamin Magalong admitted last March 30 that contact tracing in the country was worsening. He explained that for many areas, it does not go beyond the household of the detected COVID-19 case, while ideally in urban settings, the contact tracing ratio should be between 1:30 and 1:37. In a presentation, he noted the lack of uniform data collection tool among LGUs. The COVID KAYA and Tanod Kontra COVID projects are ineffective, the lack of trained contact tracers, the problems in encoding data, contact tracing analytical tools are not used by many LGUs, and many LGUs do not coordinate with uniformed personnel fyoertcinonfutlalcutster,aacnindgh.aHsenaoltsobeseanidfuthllyatatchqeuiSretadybSyatfheecgoonvtearcntmteranct.ing application is not As of March 18, DILG Undersecretary and Spokesperson Jonathan Malaya says the NCR has a total of 9,386 contact tracers organized in 2,130 contact tracing teams (CTTs). As of March, there were 29,611 contact tracing teams nationwide. Each CTT is composed of the Municipal/City Health Officer with members from the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTS), volunteers from Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and the augmentation CTs from the DILG. To expand the program, the Department of Labor through the MMDA has announced last April 11 that they will also hire 14,000 additional contact tracers for Metro Manila. Breaking the chain of transmission is also a community effort, and this is why the DILG and DOH have also launched the “BIDA ang may Disiplina: Solusyon sa COVID-19” advocacy campaign, with DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año encouraging people participation in the battle against COVID-19 by living a life of discipline and earnestly practicing the minimum health standards. Tenorio agrees that fighting community transmission is everyone’s responsibility. “Our success rate was better before. Now people don’t believe in COVID anymore or ttraakceerits.lWighhtelyn.wTehecraellitsheamm, tehnetyalsitayytthhaetyhaarse jbuesctohmome eawrohaednbtlhoactkisfonr’tutsruec.oTnhteacret are people who keep going out when they are already positive. We had one case where a patient even went to a drinking session and the whole neighborhood caught COVID.”

He tells stories of families who were all quarantined for 14 days without a source of income. “Sometimes I have to give out from my own pocket because you see the children crying because they have no milk. When they got better, I was really happy that I teared up.” The satisfaction from his job outweighs the risks, he says. “I am not afraid for myself, but I am afraid to bring the virus home. I take extra precautions, such as sending them all upstairs when I arrive and I strip down to my underwear in our garage. I don’t care if the neighbour sees me,” he laughs. “When I grow old, I want to be able to tell my grandkids I was on the frontlines of COVID-19, and in my own little way, naging bayani ako.” This article was originally published at the PhilSTAR Life (philstarlife.com), online news site of the Philippine Star, on May 03, 2021 and republished in this compendium with the consent of the author and PhilSTAR Life.

Parañaque IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO MAKE CONTACT TRACING WORK Redeem Joya Former CT Team Leader, Sun Valley Barangay Contact Tracers (CTs) play a critical role in assisting patients who are suspected of being or are actually positive for COVID-19. In addition to their actual duties, CTs face other challenges related to the locations in which they are assigned. Every city hosts a variety of neighborhoods; in the case of Parañaque, there are puroks, private subdivisions, informal residential areas and condominiums as well as tcroamcimngerincitahleasreeanse.igWhbitohrohuotodpsrowpeillrmcoosotrdliiknealtyiofanil.with barangay authorities, contact Bayanihan Network COVID Response, a strategy employed by Contact Tracers of Barangay Sun Valley, is one good example of how coordination with the community can result in a high rate of success in contact tracing, case finding, and efficient case investigation. The scheme links the purok organization, homeowner’s subdivisions, and park and condominium management officers with health personnel to facilitate case reporting and quarantine observance monitoring. The \"link\" is an established open communication system between and among the Contact Tracing Team and the various units within the barangay involved in actively monitoring cases, symptomatic self-reported cases (for swabbing), symptomatic and asymptomatic cases requiring medical attention, and in the issuance of medical certificate (after completion of quarantine).

With the Bayanihan Network COVID Response, eight (8) out of ten (10) positive cases transmitted through the health center database are already being reported— days before the Barangay receives the CDRS and EB cases—proof that the self- reporting mechanism can effectively stop further infection even in the midst of a COVID surge. The strategy is respectful of individual privacy rights, and based on the rationale for quarantine and isolation protocols to contain the spread of disease and protect the majority of the population against infection, which is the primary role of Contact Tracers. With the establishment of the network that enables efficient, community-wide management of COVID-19 cases, which includes not only attending to basic medical needs, but also monitoring individual cases, preventing further infection, and collaborating with the community itself. Considering the foregoing successes, it is recommended that LGUs institutionalize the above described practice by enacting a City Ordinance requiring mandatory self- reporting of cases, as well as providing a system of rewards, gratuities, and bonuses to participating puroks, subdivision HOAs, condominiums, and park management offices. The involvement of and the concerted efforts by neighbourhoods, homeowners and condominium associations is critical to the success of the Barangay self- reporting/self-monitoring mechanism, recognizing that neither the LGU nor a single health center can handle it alone. Challenges remain, especially in the depressed areas with purok leaders who remain indifferent to the call for civic action, with some even demanding compensation for something they are duty-bound to perform, while others projecting their unwarranted fears of the risk of managing the health emergency upon the greater community. Driven by the spirit of bayanihan, the contact tracers still found success as evidenced by the decrease in cases in the barangay.

CONTACT TRACING BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY Zealousness in the performance of tasks and commitment beyond the call of duty are the characteristics that will best describe the contact tracers of Navotas City. Their passion and enthusiasm beyond the usual distant contact tracing were exemplified by their willingness to do on-site contact tracing and environmental surveys. During instances of unreachable or uncooperative index COVID 19 positive patients, together with the contact tracers of the Philippine National Police, they visited the exact locations or residences of difficult patients to conduct interviews and elicit the line list of first and second-generation close contacts. Likewise, during times of doubtful or unreliable information on their residences being provided by the index cases, without hesitation, they carry out on-site house surveys. This was to ensure that detection of possible additional sources of infection and the right isolation or disposition of COVID 19 patients were done. Their performance of tasks even beyond the scope of their job description was best seen when they assist patients in lockdown areas for swabbing and Q-band installation and in doing the house to house registration of senior citizens, bedridden patients and Persons with Disabilities for COVID vaccination. Navotas

During surges in COVID 19 cases, one of the measures done by Navotas COVID response was to lockdown areas with clustering of several cases of the infection. Part of the course of action done was to perform RT-PCR tests or swabbing of all close contacts of index cases in the lockdown areas. The contact tracers aid or help the CESU office in organizing the transport of patients and their close contacts to the mega swabbing center, accompany them for swabbing and wait until swabbing was done. They also abet in the putting of Q-bands of both the index case and their close contacts. The contact tracers also lend their help in the Navotas COVID 19 vaccination. They were willing envoys of community surveys for bedridden seniors and disabled patients. They went house to house focusing on bedridden Navotenos, for their registration, eliciting consent and health declarations, and even assisting the mobile vaccination team by accompanying them to the residences of these populations during their scheduled vaccination. The above activities help in stemming the transmission of COVID 19 infection, as they are measures that aid in early recognition of cases, their prompt isolation and timely linkage to treatment. Vaccination contributes to the prevention of transmission of cases by affording protection to immunized individuals. Thus, to say that Navotas contact tracers act were close to heroic especially in their help to address or thwart COVID 19 infection was apt and appropriate.

Pasig JOLAS AND PAOLO: STORIES OF SERVICE Breath, health, death: Stories of Service From the hustle and bustle of preparing meals and sating appetites, Jolas and Paulo had to switch careers due to the economic disruption brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. Jolas Bituin was a kitchen crew overseas, while Charles Paulo Concepcion led a team in a fast-food chain. But the tight restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the deadly virus left the two looking for a new job. Over two thousand applied for the 300 slots in Pasig when the Department first opened its doors to contact tracers in 2020. Jolas and Paulo made it to the first batch of contact tracers hired by DILG in September 2020. On average, they would trace the close contacts of ten confirmed cases even on twheeepkaetnidesn.tsHoawsseivgenre,ddutrointghethmerseparcehaeddotfwtehnetDyealstainvfaerciatniotnfsrowmeMreairnchfatmoilAypcrillu2s0te2r1s,. Each confirmed case would have a minimum of 100 close contacts traced due to the intensive contact tracing of the City Government of Pasig, with the help of the Pasig Pass. Jolas and Paulo had to work until 10 PM daily to trace the thousands of close contacts.

There were also instances when the two had to visit confirmed cases in their houses. They had to check whether those who refused to be admitted to isolation facilities had their bedrooms and comfort rooms; check the conditions of unresponsive patients, and provide instructions on how to dispose of wastes properly. In one case, Jolas visited a patient who stopped responding—he caught the patient, a tricycle driver, working even when he had yet to complete his isolation. hAasdidteofrdoemalwwoitrhkincgomovpelertximcaesaensd. Dbeurininggetxhpeosseudrgteoincocnafsiremsedduceatsoesth, JeoDlaesltaanvdaPriaaunlto, Jrceologlasaserddhinaagnsdaaleclldlut3hset3escr taoasffeCfsOhaVatdIDot-n1oc9eun—indfheeercgtroieocnCesOivVineIDda-wa19areretpehosorttuinsfrgeo.. mTMhetehawenwaBrhaeirhleaon, ugPsaaeyuhlSoaadhnattdoolabtone ptheersmuatodereacefiavmeitlyheoirfcsleixarinanBcaer.angay Dela Paz to undergo re-swabbing in order for eJonldaesdaonndDPeacuelmo bveorlu3n1t,e2e0re2d1,taoswthoerkOamsiccroonntvaacrtiatnrtacsewrespetvtheencaofutenrtrtyh.eir contract In the first week of February, Paulo dealt with the loss of a patient due to misdeclaration: the parents of a 26-year old patient with a heart ailment initially declared that their daughter was not suffering severe symptoms—only when other contact tracers monitored the patient at night and had the chance to talk to her did they find out that she was having difficulty breathing. The patient was brought to tahrreivaPla. sig City General Hospital but died on Jolas and Paulo continue to work as contact tracers after the City Government of Pasig hired them.

BUILDING A ROOF AMID THE RAIN: A DILG-HIRED CONTRACT TRACER SUCCESS STORY The world was put into halt because of the coming of the unwelcome guest. It has brought negative impacts to the people. There were those who lost their jobs, their loved ones and their entire being - yet, there are others who found the pandemic an opportunity to help the community at the same time, earn a living. With the intensification of the contact tracing efforts of the government, the DILG was tasked to recruit and hire Contact Tracers, for deployment and augmentation of LGU COVID-19 surveillance data generation. The contact tracing job, to many, who were affected and left with no means of livelihood or employment amidst the pandemic - is a source of hope or one blessing in disguise. Aira M. Biglang-awa, 26, a resident of Barangay Sta.Monica, Quezon City, is one of the risk takers who tried her luck in applying as a Contact Tracer. Aira, as she is fondly called, got her Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship major in Entrepreneurial fAivcecoaunndtiangminotQhueerzoofntCwitoybPeoalyutteifcuhl ngiicrlsU,nJivaeirresiHtyeainv2en0,155.ySehaersisosldecaonnddJioneaafi aHmeirlay,o4f years old. While eking out a living during the implementation of different levels of quarantine in NCR challenges many, Aira has in her heart the willingness to help and contribute to her community, in the smallest way possible, despite of fears for her own and her family’s health and well-being. It was hard for her family to earn a living. Her parents are already old and no longer capable of working. Her siblings are unemployed and having difficulty finding jobs. As a young mother, she wants to give the best for her children. That made her decide to look for a job that would help her and her family survive the onslaught of the pandemic.

Quezon City For Aira, changes were felt during the past months, and being a contact tracer changed her life in one way or the other. The monthly income and the allowances she received from being a contact tracer tide her over and allowed her to provide for the daily needs of her family. But it is not just that, inspired with the aspiration of improving the life of her whole family, she was able to start building a new house - a bungalow house to provide wshaesltpelarntnoetdhfeowr thhoelecofanmstirlyu.cTtihoensoafvtihnegisr hsohueseh.as from October 2020 to April 2021 For Aira, the pandemic has taught her, as well, to weigh her priorities, she does not need to buy material things for herself. For a caring and selfless daughter, sister and mother that she is - the most important thing for her is that she can help provide the needs, most importantly, a roof where they can all share the warmth of love of their family. This is something she is proud of. Aira shares her parents never obliged or even expected her to support their family - but they are immensely grateful for this blessing and Aira’s parents are really proud of their daughter. To Aira, she is forever thankful to DILG, in providing the needed light of hope, as many, like her, grappled and traversed in darkness, amid the cold rain, where faith and compassion are hoped to be found somewhere. Among the hundreds of contact tracers in Quezon City, Aira’s sacrifice was not put into waste but rather yields a fruitful harvest. Her whole contact tracing journey made her feel so fulfilled because she knew that she was doing the right thing. Aira is just one of the aspiring young ladies who wants to make a difference during this unprecedented time. She believes, that there is hope, and a roof can, indeed, be built even amid the rain. Ending her answers with a quote from T.S. Elliot, “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far it is possible to go.”

San Juan AN ACCOUNTANT’S JOURNEY OF SELF-DISCOVERY By: Aurora Esperanza T. Hugo-Dionisio When the global pandemic hit the country in March of 2020, people have since been affected with what seems to be compounding effects. Health and well-being of the people are compromised, businesses and education are disrupted, thus, job losses, livelihood scarcity, mental health issues, poverty and even death and so on and so forth are unfortunately inevitable. But Arturo Chavez, a former Certified Public Accountant (CPA) before a spine injury and diabetes practically stuck him on and off to his bed for almost two years, took the pandemic challenges as an opportunity to change his life totally. From CPA to CPA, From Spreadsheets to COVID-19 Datasheets. Arturo Chavez used to earn a hefty amount from being a CPA, one of the highest-earning professions. “This has been my bread and butter for almost half of my life, if not for my setback brought by my injury and the current pandemic I would never realize that something might really be missing,” Chavez said. After 2 years of suffering from pain due to his injury and a series of realizations, it is unexpected that he would leave his profession by purposely not renewing his CPA License from PRC. “I just thought that it might be a major turning point in my life and a jumpstart to find its true meaning less the glamour and the money”, he explained.

True enough, he found himself in a volunteer work as a frontliner in his barangay at the very onset of the pandemic. This started his calling to a more meaningful vocation. “I just can’t express how fulfilling it is to be of help to the people and be part of the solution of the problem”, he added. Chavez was part of the first batch of the DILG- hired Contact Tracers assigned in San Juan City in October 2020. Out of the total of 80 contact tracers from the first batch, he was part of the 30 renewed by the DILG in 2021 and one of the 13 contact tracers that were retained and directly hired by San Juan City Government early this year. His performance records show an almost perfect evaluation rating: no absences, no late, complete reports were submitted on time, and a team player as described by his supervisor, and these are all in spite of his health condition. “I finally found my purpose and I am thankful to the DILG and the Local Government of San Juan for this opportunity. I am proud that I can still retain my CPA title but now as a “Certified Positive Accountant” of COVID 19 of San Juan City, with Patients’ Datasheets to work on every day.” The CPA narrated.

A Memorable Call to a patient and a memorable call from a fellow Contact Tracer. On September 6, 2021, Chavez recalled one of the memorable calls that he made as a contact tracer was when a COVID-19 positive burst into crying not only because of cthheildfreeanrwthoautldhbeorthchcieldlerebnramteigthhteiarlbsoirtghedtayinsfwechtileedshweitihs CinOisVoIDla-t1io9nb. “uAtfbteercaaulesneghtheyr conversation, I know I somehow made her feel better or even made her laugh by telling her she can still hold a virtual party instead”, Chavez proudly recounted. After that call, he received a call from his fellow contact tracer breaking the news that he was declared a close contact by a COVID-19 positive and that he needed to have a swab test, two days after, his result was positive. But this did not stop him from being the best “CPA”. As for the COVID-19 patient that he advised to have a virtual birthday celebration for her kids, the party pushed through, I should know, because that patient was me.