A city councilor has passed an ordinance for the mandatory submission of a contact tracing form for all persons entering Davao City by land, air or sea.
Councilor Mary Joselle Villafuerte, committee chair on health, passed the ordinance under suspended rules on Wednesday, April 8, during the regular session.
Villafuerte said that this will be intended for contact tracing not just during the current pandemic but in future public crisis.
“The purpose of this is to keep a record of people in the event that a highly transmissible illness will occur, we can trace them through their address and phone numbers,” she said.
She said this will be a permanent process for all persons entering the territorial jurisdiction of the city.
In the initial filing of the ordinance, the contact tracing form will include the date of arrival, full name, nationality, age, sex, birthdate, flight number or bus company and number, vessel name, name of hotel or address in Davao city, residence in the Philippines, a Philippine mobile number and email address.
The information, Villafuerte said, shall become the property of the city government. This will only be used for the purpose of tracing people in the event of public emergencies.
The printing and the safekeeping will be in the care of City Hall. Mayor Sara Duterte will also be the one to make the implementing rules and regulations of the ordinance.
Initially, Villafuerte said non-compliance or falsification shall be grounds for a fine not exceeding P5,000 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year or both at the discretion of the court.
However, the ordinance will also be undergoing some amendments for it to be fully implemented.
Councilors also approved an ordinance authorizing the city mayor to execute a deed of acceptance of donations in relation to the deed of donation dated March 31st 2020 executed by Panhua Group Company Limited represented by its president Lee Xinghua and received for in behalf of city government the various personal protective equipment (PEEs).
Villafuerte said that Panhua group from Panhua group from Jiangsu province of China China donated various PPEs for the city.
She said that there will be 300,000 pieces of disposable masks, 2,000 protective clothing, 5,000 pairs of protective goggles and 50,000 pieces of polyvinyl chloride gloves. The shipment will be leaving China on April 14 and will hopefully arrive at the Davao City port on April 25.
Villafuerte also filed a resolution urging all barangay captains to mobilize government-issued vehicles to transport persons in need of specialized medical care/treatment or maintenance during the period of the effectivity of the ECQ.
