KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 17 September) — Soccsksargen is recruiting at least 1,500 contact tracers to fight the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as confirmed cases across the region continue to soar and about to breach the 1,000-mark on Thursday.
Josephine Cabrido-Leysa, Department of the Interior and Local Government – Region 12 (DILG-12) director, said the recruited contact tracers will work for four months or until January 2021.
The position requires a bachelor’s degree but even without civil service eligibility or training, as the DILG and the Local Government Academy will train the recruits, she said.
The applicants need to submit a Letter of Intent, resume, police clearance (while waiting for their National Bureau of Investigation clearance), and drug test results. The deadline for submission of application at the local DILG offices is on September 21.
The successful recruit will receive a Salary Grade 9, or P18,784 monthly.
In a statement, she noted that the DILG central office allocated 1,451 contact tracers for Soccsksargen, but the region haggled due to the rising cases of COVID-19 brought about by local transmission and was given 1,501 slots.
Among those who will be prioritized are DILG job order workers whose contracts have not been renewed, displaced Overseas Filipino Workers and terminated local company workers, among others, Cabrido-Leysa said.
Arjohn Gangoso, Department of Health-12 health education and promotion officer, said that 978 persons were tested positive for COVID-19 as of 6 p.m. Wednesday, September 16.
South Cotabato recorded the highest cases with 328, followed by General Santos City with 193, Cotabato City with 151, Sarangani with 118, Sultan Kudarat with 96 and North Cotabato with 92.
So far, the region has 510 active COVID-19 cases, 457 recoveries and 19 deaths, Gangoso said.
Cabrido-Leysa said the Regional l Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Disease has so far permitted four localities in the region to impose localized lockdowns or zoning containment to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
She identified them as Koronadal City and Surallah in South Cotabato, Midsayap in North Cotabato and Maasim in Sarangani. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
