The government will launch on Monday, April 6, a QR-based pass system at quarantine checkpoints to speed up the passage of individuals and vehicles.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, spokesman of the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, said the RapidPass system was initiated by the task force and the Department of Science and Technology, which tapped Developers Connect, Inc. (Devcon), a nonprofit organization composed of Filipino developers and IT professionals.
Law enforcers manning checkpoints will use QR scanners in smartphones to scan personal QR codes to be given to authorized individuals, Nograles said. If accepted, the individuals can pass through the checkpoints.
The RapidPass “can be requested by frontliners or authorized personnel through the website RapidPass.ph, either on a desktop or a mobile device,” Nograles said.
If the application is approved, a unique QR code and control number will be granted to each authorized person or vehicle. The QR code can be printed and placed on the dashboard of a vehicle, or shown using the person’s smartphone. Those without smartphones or printers can show the control number and a valid ID to authorities manning checkpoints.
The RapidPass has been field-tested by the military and police.
Nograles said that while the RapidPass will be available to everyone, it will not be required.
“Pwede pa rin magpakita ng ID o documents para makadaan sa checkpoint. But this option will be available to those who want to pass through our checkpoints faster and want to reduce contact with others at checkpoints,” he said.
Devcon founder Winston Damarillo formed a global volunteer team of over 500 Filipino developers, creatives, and subject matter experts, known as “DCTx,” to develop the pass system.
“This community of volunteers developed RapidPass as volunteers, free of charge, and its software will be released as open-source for the world to use,” said Nograles.
In an online briefing, Damarillo said the pass system was not entirely fool-proof but would be difficult to tamper with.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana lauded the “innovation” and said it was one of the “good things” coming out of the crisis.
Devcon is collaborating with the Department of Information and Communications Technology to ensure that RapidPass “adheres to government-approved standards for data privacy, security, and resilience.” (PressONE.ph)