IBA, Zambales — The province of Zambales has stepped up its contact tracing effort to help curb the transmission of the Covid-19 virus by beefing up its team tasked to identify and collect information about residents who may have come into contact with infected persons.

A total of 105 contact tracers received work orientation from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) headed by Provincial Director Armi V. Bactad on October 3 after passing the qualification process.

 Bactad officially welcomed the first batch of qualified contact tracers into the DILG Zambales team via Zoom video conferencing.

“As members of the DILG Zambales team, everyone is expected to be very courteous sa pakikipag-usap sa inyong mga kasamahan, supervisors, and of course, sa mga local government units (LGUs) na kung saan kayo maa-assign,”  Bactad stressed.

The applicants were screened and assessed during face-to-face interview conducted by the Provincial Human Resource Merit Selection and Promotion Board (HRMSPB) on September 22 to 25 at the DILG Zambales Provincial Office.

During the video meeting, Human Resource Officer/ ADA IV Denver S. Yumul presented the administrative and financial requirements to the new contact tracers and also explained their specific functions and duties.

On the other hand, Cluster Team Leader/LGOO VII Judith B. Romero discussed Republic Act No. 6713, which is the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for public officials and employees.

The qualified applicants shall augment the current contact tracing teams (CTTs) in the LGUs and are expected to effectively and efficiently contribute to cut the transmission and eventually, defeat COVID-19. — Paulin Johanne L. Reyes / DILG