Abellanosa wants ‘useless’ QR-coded passes replaced

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City South District Representative Rodrigo Abellanosa has pledged to produce 240,000 color-coded quarantine passes in lieu of the “useless” passes with quick response (QR) codes.

“No need for the useless QR codes. Color-coded cards with serial numbers and City Hall dry seal is the key,” the congressman said in a Facebook post yesterday.

“I am willing to produce 240k color-coded cards with serial numbers in one week at my own personal expense and with the help of my staff at the Cebu City South DOC (District Operations Center),” he added.

Cebu City has over 250,000 households.

But the city government only issued 178,000 QR-coded passes to the households. The number was 72,000 less than the 250,000 quarantine passes that the city distributed the first time it was placed under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in March.

The pass with QR code, however, does not contain the information of the households, contrary to the earlier statement of the city officials.

Abellanosa said there is a need to address the lack of quarantine passes and to correct the system.

“Until now, thousands of Cebu City constituents are crying for the quarantine passes (QPs) of their households. It is not too late to rethink and correct the QP system,” he said.

He said color-coded passes would be more effective than the QR-coded ones.

He suggests dividing the total households into three groups with each group going out only twice a week (Mondays and Thursdays, Tuesdays and Fridays, and Wednesdays and Saturdays). With this, only 80,000 people are allowed to go out daily.

Unlike the current scenario wherein 90,000 people are going out every day.

At present, one person per household is allowed to go out and buy food and other basic necessities thrice a week depending on the last digit of the QR code.

Passes with control numbers starting at odd numbers 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 are only allowed to go out on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, while those control numbers starting at even numbers 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 are only allowed to go out on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Meanwhile, passes cannot be used on Sundays.

If approved by Mayor Edgardo Labella and Regional Inter-Agency Task Force, Abellanosa said he will immediately produce the passes for free.

He said the city government’s task is only to dry seal and distribute the new passes.

"Mag tinabangay lang tang tanan," he said.   KQD (FREEMAN)