Baguio constituents still come first

New contact tracing czar Magalong assures

The Baguio City government has set up a new web domain that will enable it to share its COVID-19 data collection tool with other LGUs around the country

BAGUIO CITY — He may have taken a new role in the government’s anti-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) efforts as the contract tracing czar, but Baguio City mayor Benjamin Magalong assured his constituents remain his top priority.

Magalong was recently appointed to the National Task Force against COVID-19 to lead contact tracing efforts on account of him pioneering an effective system in tracking close contacts of COVID-19 patients, a task the former police general took in.

Along with the added responsibility, Magalong vowed that his duties as mayor will not be affected.

Using technology and employing the cognitive interview skill he acquired throughout his years in the Philippine National Police (PNP), Magalong, a seasoned investigator and police operation officer having led the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and also a Special Action Force, developed a tool for fast and efficient contact tracing system which was adopted by other local government units like Cebu City.

After Cebu City, the cities of Zamboanga, Muntinlupa and Bacoor, as well as Environment and Natural Resources central office, had also tapped Baguio City for help in setting up if not improving their own contact tracing schemes.

The Baguio City government has set up a new web domain that will enable it to share its COVID-19 data collection tool with other LGU around the country.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology has already approved Baguio City’s application for a new domain that can be utilized by LGU interested to set up their own information system to aid them in data collection, real-time monitoring, and management of COVID-19 cases.