BY ADRIAN P. NEMES III
The BaCTrac system’s privacy is protected and safe, Dr. Chris Sorongon, deputy for medical and data analysis of the Bacolod Emergency Operations Center, assured yesterday.
Sorongon made the assurance to allay fears of city residents that their data will be compromised once they enrolled in the system.
The use of the BaCTrac system in malls and establishments in Bacolod will be mandatory effective March 1
Sorongon said that under City Ordinance 941 that implements the use of the BaCTrac system, only the data protection officer has access to the database.
He said that after 60 days, all data encoded in the contact tracing apps are automatically deleted.
Sorongon also said that the terms of use and privacy notice are in place as recommended by the National Privacy Commission, adding that the BaCTrac is solely used for contact tracing purposes.
About 8,216 establishments and 437,189 individuals have registered in the city’s BaCTrac system, as of this month.
Sorongon said not all establishments are mandated to use the tracing app since eateries, variety stores, and other similar businesses are not required.
He said only large establishments, like malls, banks, and others are urged to use the tracking system.
As to the BaCTrac system QR codes used as key chains, Sorongon said, they do not see any violation in its use.
INNS, MOTELS
Minor violations were noted in several inns and motels in Bacolod after they were inspected by personnel from the Business Permit and Licensing Office and sanitary inspectors of the City Health Office, in line with the Valentine’s Day celebration tomorrow. Sorongon said the common infraction they noticed was the disregard of social distancing, hence, they were given verbal warnings.*
