Rapid Pass for checkpoints for front liners developed

THE government and the private sector have developed a way to make the checkpoint process of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) easier for front liners. The government teamed up with the non-profit organization Developers Connect Inc. (DevCon) to help create the Rapid Pass system which was launched on Friday afternoon.

Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) Spokesperson Karlo Alexei B. Nograles said earlier that day, “Ito pong rapid pass system ay kinonceptualize po namin sa IATF para mapabilis ang sistema ng pag-check ng ating mga sasakyan at mabawasan ang person-to-person contact sa mga frontliners na gumagawa ng kritikal na serbisyo sa ating mga checkpoint officers (This rapid pass system was conceptualized by the IATF so we can speed up the process of checking vehicles and to decrease person-to-person contact of our frontliners — who do a critical service — with our checkpoint officers).”

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) commissioned the creation of this program with private sector volunteers. DevCon also worked with the Department of Information Communications and Telecommunications (DICT) to ensure the application’s data privacy.

With this system, a unique QR code will be given to authorized people which they can show through their smartphones at checkpoints. They can also print it out and post it on their vehicles. Frontliners will still have to show a valid ID when using this system.

DevCon Founding President Winston Damarillo explained that the system has three components.

“The first component is the ability to apply for a Rapid Pass. It’s an application that can run on any phone and by any web page and this allows the frontliners to be able to get a Rapid Pass. The second component is an approver system to accelerate and simplify the approver process, and then the third component is the actual device that the checkpoint will be using,” he said at the virtual launch on Friday.

“There will be a special meeting between DevCon and his group for the deployment planning because the people at the checkpoint would want very specific orders from them and there is a need to introduce a Rapid Pass lane,” said DoST Secretary Fortunato Dela Pena during the launch.

Mr. Nograles said PLDT Inc. has donated 200 cell phones for the use of checkpoint officers in relation to the Rapid Pass. — Gillian M. Cortez