Philippine National Police (PNP) Region 7 has a brilliant idea on how they could intensify their contact tracing efforts by asking the help of the ‘tsimoso and tsimosa’ or gossipers to find possible COVID-19 carriers.
In an interview with the press, PRO-7 Director Albert Ignatius Ferro said that having a ‘tsimoso brigade’ may be a good idea to increase the effectiveness of their contact tracing.
“Tatawagin natin itong tsimoso brigade… pwede silang maging good source katulad nang ginawa nila sa Bulacan. Pwede nating hingin ang tulong ng mga mahilig sa tsimis sa contact tracing… Atleast may magagawa silang mabuti imbis na magkalat lang ng tsismis,” Ferro said in Cebuano.
Ferro pointed out that the public also needs to participate in fighting the pandemic in the country.
“This health emergency crisis is not only a job or responsibility of the police, of the military, or the local government. This is a responsibility of every single Sugboano, Boholano, Ilongo, Ilocano, Bisaya, and all the Filipino citizens,” Ferro said.
Cebu City, the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country can be found in region 7.
This is not the first time that the Filipinos used gossiping to fight COVID-19.
In a story written by National Geographic, a doctor in a small barangay in Nueva Viscaya used gossipers to keep an eye on their neighbors and look for the people who just arrive in their village.
“The members of this unofficial “gossip brigade” are thrilled to help. It’s their time to shine,” the article read.