Starting March 01, Valenzuela, Pasig, Antipolo, and Mandaluyong City’s local contact tracing QR codes can now be used across the four (4) cities – expanding a contract tracing measure through a seamless and safe method that aspires to interconnect more cities and nearby provinces to go digital in contact tracing.        

Officially entering a Contact Tracing Network Consortium Agreement, Valenzuela City’s ValTrace, Pasig City’s PasigPass, Antipolo City’s Bantay COVID-19, and now, Mandaluyong City’s MandaTrack are now interconnected with each other. There will be no need to download separate QR codes for the four (4) cities as the QR codes registered and used in one (1) city can be used to the other city included in the consortium agreement.

With the digital contact tracing concept initiated by Valenzuela City and implemented in its jurisdiction last October 05, 2020, the ValTrace QR codes proved to be an efficient and effective way of seeing recent COVID-19 exposures and contacts of a patient as it requires all citizens to have their own ValTrace QR codes and for businesses to scan the QR codes of all visitors entering the establishment.

The ValTrace QR codes are currently being utilized by the City for its VCVax COVID-19 Vaccination registration where the local government continues to experience the benefit of having an existing database of its residents and provides for optimal targets for the vaccination registration.

Valenzuela City's ValTrace has been previously integrated with Pasig City's PasigPass last December 07, 2020 and with Antipolo City’s Bantay COVID-19 effective last January 10 this year. Now interconnected with Mandaluyong City’s MandaTrack this March 01, the local chief executives of the cities are more hopeful that more local government units will join the digital contact tracing solution through the use of QR codes.

“Napakagandang balita po nito lalo na sa mga Pasigueñong madalas pumunta sa Mandaluyong,  hindi na natin kailangang mag-download ng panibagong QR code, hindi na rin natin kailangang mag-fill up ng mga contact tracing forms, iisang QR code nalang... Kaya binabati ko po si Mayor REX Gatchalian ng Valenzuela, sila po ang nanguna dito. At pati po sina Mayor Andrea Ynares ng Antipolo at si Mayor Menchie Abalos ng Mandaluyong, malaking tulong  po ito para sa atin at para sa laban natin kontra COVID-19,” Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto expressed.  

Antipolo City Mayor Andrea Ynares is more than happy with the consortium agreement and hopes that the move of the cities will be a model for the others, “Ang sarap talaga sa pakiramdam kapag alam mong buhay ang bayanihan... Sana po ay magsilbing modelo para sa mga mamamayan ang pagkakapit  bisig ng Mandaluyong, Valenzuela, Pasig, at siyudad ng Antipolo... I am hopeful na madadagdagan po tayo.”

“Yung ValTrace niyo, pwede na magamit sa Pasig, sa Mandaluyong or sa Antipolo… Syempre gusto ko rin pasalamatan ang ating bagong partner sa pamumuno… Mayor Menchie, maraming salamat dahil tinanggap niyo yung offer namin na maging partner at mag-link ang ating QR code…. Mapapabilis na yung byahe o yung movement ng ating mga mamamayan sa respective cities natin,” Valenzuela City Mayor REX Gatchalian said.

“Ngayon na lumalago na ang ating interlinking agreement, naniniwala ako na darating ang araw na isang QR code nalang sa buong Pilipinas,” Mayor REX stated.

Meanwhile, Mandaluyong City Mayor Carmelita “Menchie” Abalos reminds everyone to remain vigilant and observe the minimum health standards while the country is still under the threat of COVID-19.

“Habang unti-unting lumuluwag ang mga quarantine restrictions, mahalaga pa rin ang patuloy na pagsasagawa ng contact tracing system sa bawat lungsod at sa buong bansa... Nawa’y maging kaisa natin ang lahat at iba pang mga LGU sa Metro Manila at karatig probinsya sa isang mas solidong kooperasyon, kolaborasyon, at pagtutulungan upang maging matibay ang ugnayan at kampanya laban COVID-19 sa Pilipinas,” Mayor Abalos said.

Watch the Signing of the Contact Tracing Network Consortium Agreement at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRvv7mZcNcQ.