Members of the House of Representatives were unanimous in calling on the Interagency Task Force (IATF) on the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease to come up with a single contact tracing protocol for the country amid the ongoing battle with COVID-19.

House Resolution No. 1680, a substitute to the measure initiated by the Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, was adopted in the lower chamber thru voice voting.

The resolution said a "unified" national contact tracing protocol will result in a " more effective health emergency data monitoring system."

It also asks the IATF to designate a government agency or body "to serve as a the central repository" of the unified contact tracing information and database that will "strictly comply" with the country's data privacy law.

In the resolution he filed, Velasco said "disparate apps and non-centralized repository leads to redundant products, cost duplication and less effective solution."

During the joint hearing of the Committees on Health, and Information and Communication Technology last March 9, contact tracing czar and Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magaling admitted being confused and frustrated about the use of various digital contact tracing applications by national agencies and local government units (LGUs).

The IATF Resolution No. 85 issued in November, 2020, designated the StaySafe.Ph as the government's digital contact tracing app "of choice" and mandated its use across all government agencies and LGUs.

Those already using their own contact tracing application should integrate their system with StaySafe, the resolution stated.

The IATF later ordered establishments to also adopt the use of the StaySafe app.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque also admitted that the contact tracing is the weakest point in the country's COVID-19 response. Last March 12, he said the Philippines could expect the "full implementation" of the StaySafe app "within 10 days."