Cebu police suggest using 'tsismosas' for COVID-19 contact tracing

Police Brig. Gen. Albert Ignatius Ferro suggested utilizing neighborhood "tsismosas" or rumor mongers as potential contact tracers to expand COVID-19 tracking capabilities in Cebu.

Ferro, who fondly dubbed them the 'tsimosa brigade,' proposed that these individuals could provide valuable information to authorities instead of spreading gossip.

He mentioned that the idea came from a practice reportedly implemented in Bulacan province, where 'tsismosas' are being enlisted to aid in contact tracing efforts.

The tsimosas would be tapped to augment the existing 134 contact tracing teams in Cebu City, which is currently the city with the highest caseload of infections in the country.

Ferro clarified that he meant to encourage the community to volunteer in the contact tracing effort, emphasizing that addressing the health crisis is a shared responsibility not solely of the government, but of all Filipino citizens.