TO MAKE travel protocols uniform for all local government units, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has adopted the Safe, Swift, and Smart Passage Travel Management System developed by the Department of Science and Technology Region VI.

The S-PaSS, developed initially as a travel management system, was created to make a hassle-free journey for Locally Stranded Individuals, Returning Overseas Filipinos, Emergency Travelers, and other travelers during this pandemic.

The app provides travelers a convenient and safe way to apply for travel authorization online. S-PaSS provides a unique QR code that can show an individual’s travel authorization. It can also be used to register in designated monitoring locations and track one’s travel history.

S-PaSS also can help the Philippine National Police by providing an easier, faster and integrated process of issuing travel authority that can quickly generate real-time reports.

It can also benefit authorities as it serves as a platform where officials can properly monitor the movement of people during the pandemic.

For local government units and monitoring agencies, the system allows real-time monitoring of incoming travelers and provides convenient tracking of travelers by setting up designated monitoring locations.

The system has a local mobility feature that replaces the use of pen-and-paper or logbooks.

It can also be used to document and monitor border crossings in local government units.

The travelers can be monitored by scanning their unique S-PaSS QR Code every time they visit an establishment or an office. The system will then automatically record information on its eLogBook for recording and monitoring purposes.

The IATF said the StaySafe.ph remains as the primary contact tracing system by the government. It added that existing contact tracing applications, such as Traze App, must be integrated with the StaySafe.ph System.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government crafted the uniform travel protocols for land, air and sea, in close coordination with the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, League of Provinces of the Philippines, League of Municipalities of the Philippines, and the League of Cities of the Philippines.