Bars, cashless PUJ fares and Covid-19 web domain

CITY HALL BEAT

Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY -- Owners of night establishments admitted they might have to wait for quarantine restrictions to ease up before they can go back to business.

In a consultation called upon by Mayor Benjamin Magalong held July 3, bar owners said that reopening their businesses while curfew and tourist restrictions are still in effect would be impractical.

They however agreed to begin preparing for their eventual reoperation by submitting their proposed operation guidelines compliant with the minimum health standards for COVID-19 control and prevention.

The city has over 100 bars, disco or cocktail lounges of which clientele comprised mostly of tourists and locals. They operate until 12 midnight for bars without dancing and 2 AM for those with dancing.

Magalong set the consultation which was also attended by officials of the affected barangays as part of the city's participatory approach to guiding businesses in efforts to revive the city's economy as it transitions from quarantine to new normal status subject to national guidelines.

City Mayor's Office Exec. Asst. Althea Alberto, City Permits and Licensing Division Chief Allan Abayao and City Health Services Sanitation Division Chief Engr. Charles Carame facilitated the discussions.

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The contactless and cashless fare collection system will be launched in Baguio City by the City Government and a payment solutions company at the City Hall flag raising rites on July 13.

Mayor Magalong and SquidPay Technology Inc. Chief Operating Officer/President Enrico Tamayo are also set to sign the Memorandum of Agreement to formalize the terms of the program.

SquidPay Account Executive Officer Elmar Panganiban said in preparation for rolling out the program, they conducted seminars with the different public utility jeepney, taxi and UV Express associations.  

The mayor said the city is on the right track in pursuing contactless fare payment system considering the alarming increase in the number of transport workers infected by the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). 

Although most of those affected are in the railway business, the public utility vehicle sector remains at risk for using direct payment scheme that does not inhibit physical interaction.

This scheme that uses "cashless, contactless, and seamless payment transactions through tap cards, near-field communication (NFC) or QR codes" is aligned with the new normal measures now being implemented in view of the continuing COVID threat, the mayor said.

The system is also in line with the Smart City and digital transformation programs being pursued even before the health crisis.

Executive Asst. V Philip Puzon said the system is free of charge and does not impose charges for its transactions and for the device to be used by the PUVs.

For those who will use the tap card fare payment method, the company plans to set up business centers or booths in strategic places in the city including terminals and barangay halls to sell or load tap cards that can be used to pay for the fares.  One booth had been put up at City Hall last July 7.

Panganiban said a card costs P100 with P45 as initial load and P55 as deposit or maintaining balance which is refundable once the client surrenders the card.

The system was first presented to the jeepney and taxi operators last June 24 and to the rest of the PUV associations in the coming days.

The company will continue holding walk-through sessions for other sectors and end users to familiarize them on the system. 

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The Baguio City Government has set up a new web domain that will enable it to share its Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) data collection tool with other local government units in the country.

 Mayor Magalong told the Management Committee meeting July 7 that the Dept. of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has approved the city’s application for a new domain that can be utilized by LGUs interested to set up their own information system to aid them in data collection, real-time monitoring and management of COVID-19 cases.

“This will lead to better decision-making crucial to containing the spread of the virus,” Magalong said.

Executive Asst. V Philip Puzon said that through the domain, LGUs can set up their own COVID-19 data base using the city’s data collection tool and the information when inputted to the link analysis software being used by the police will generate links and data useful in contact tracing.

Apart from allowing them to utilize the domain and help them develop their own websites, the city will also teach them to use both the data collection tool to build their own data base and the link analysis software for their contact tracing.

Magalong and some members of the city’s contact tracing team are currently in Cebu City to conduct contact tracing training to key police and government personnel in the area to help them beef up their tracking measures.

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

The city earlier shared the technology to its neighboring provinces in the Cordillera Administrative Region.

The city’s contact tracing system uses a multi-pronged approach: detection, isolation, testing and tracing.

Apart from the computer-aided data collection system and link analysis, it also integrates cognitive interviewing and patient identity disclosure to maximize gathering of contact information and facilitate quarantine, testing, disinfection and medical protocols.