Baguio City Mayor and tracing czar Benjamin Magalong admitted on Tuesday contact tracing has remained the "weakest link" in the government's response against coronavirus pandemic.

"Well, to be honest with you, I would say it's still a weakest link among the pillars," said Magalong in the "Laging Handa" public briefing referring to contact tracing.

This, he said the reason why the contact tracing team is focused on the local government units since they have the primary responsibility to do the job.

He urged the LGUs to use the analytical tools in contact tracing that they have distributed.

Magalong said so far over all contact tracing ratio is 1:4 or one contact tracer per four individuals, still far from the revised target of 1:15. Previously, the target was 1:37, the standard contact tracing ratio.

Magalong said the Department of Health had declined the use of StaySafe.ph, a contact tracing app, which has been donated to the government through the Department of Interior and Local Government.

"Right now, the DILG has been studying the StaySafe and its functionalities. Insofar as DILG is concerned, it's still in the study and learning status and the documentation that the StaySafe has given is still lacking that's why we cannot complete it yet and cannot categorically say that Staysafe is highly reliable," he said.

In a separate press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, however, said all controversies involving StaySafe have been settled.

"All those that need to be donated have already been donated to the Philippine government. And this is being used already and being implemented by the DILG. The technical assistance is being provided by the DICT (Department of Science and Technology)," he said.

"So the issues on deliverables have been completed and we have decided to go full speed ahead with Safety.ph...so, that's all systems go," Roque added. Celerina Monte/DMS