THE MANILA Health Department has now required all workers of academic institutions in the city to secure health and sanitary permits, following opposition from groups who said the policy contains “discrepancy” and is “selective” since it was only initially imposed on UST.
In a memorandum dated Aug. 5, city health department chief Arnold “Poks” Pangan, husband of Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna, cited Presidential Decree 856 or the Code of Sanitation in the Philippines, which requires all academic and non-academic staff to obtain a health certificate from the local government.
The memorandum identified Section 11 1.2 of the decree, which states that “no person shall be employed in any school without first securing a health certificate from the city or municipal health officer of the locality where the establishment is located.”
According to the document, the requirements are meant to maintain “a safe and healthy educational environment.”
“Your prompt attention and compliance to this matter is crucial for the well-being of our community,” Pangan said in the memorandum.
Earlier, Organisasyon ng Nagkakaisang Empleyado-UST (ONE-UST), a coalition of labor unions in the University, urged the city government to reassess or revoke the health permit ordinance as workers from other academic institutions were initially not required to abide by the policy.
“Simultaneously, we are exploring ways to engage with the City Council of Manila, urging them to review and suspend the ordinance’s implementation for educational institutions in the meantime,” the employees’ group said.
UST, one of the first Manila universities to impose the policy on its employees, has expressed willingness to engage in dialogue with its stakeholders. However, ONE-UST said the coalition has yet to receive a notice from the Office of the Rector.
Prior to the issuance of the memorandum, the implementation of the permit requirement has already drawn flak from Manila employees because of its supposed “discrepancy” and “selective application.”
Last April, the UST Office of the Vice Rector directed all teaching and non-teaching staff to follow Ordinance 8793, which requires them to secure a health permit worth P625 annually.
Under the ordinance, workers must undergo medical procedures, including the submission of a valid ID, stool and urine samples, a filled-out drug test form and biometrics.
All non-compliant UST personnel will be blocked from accessing the MyUSTe Portal, according to a document bearing the seals of UST and two Manila offices.
Workers who fail to comply will face a fine of not more than P3,000 for the first offense and at least P5,000 and a possible revocation of their health certificate for the second offense. Some UST administrators have also raised the possibility of non-compliant, non-tenured faculty members not getting a teaching load this term.
‘Inconsistent’
Ugnayan ng Nagkakaisang Manggagawa-UST Hospital president Donell John Siazon said the ordinance is inconsistent with its provision to ensure sanitation and wellness in work environments.
“[‘Y]ung sinasabi nila na ito ay sa pag-respond do’n sa sanitation, wala naman problema do’n, pero ang observation ng mga manggagawa, na nag-undergo do’n sa examination, na taliwas [ito] sa PD 856,” Siazon told The Flame.
(They say this was intended to respond to sanitation matters. There is no problem with that, but based on the observation of workers who underwent the examination, PD 856 is the opposite of that.)
“Because if sanitation is the issue here, their facilities should be clean. Our appeal is that since the annual examination is being conducted for us, the LGU (local government unit) should recognize it because the examinations of the workers are more reliable since our doctors monitor them,” he added.
The policy also creates a “poor impression” for University health workers who already conduct free annual physical examinations at the UST Hospital and Health Service, Siazon said.
“Because if the goal of the local government is to address healthcare, then it should be given for free,” he said.
According to Samahang Manggagawa-UST president Dan Paul Patricio, the employees’ groups are eyeing more protests to raise objections to the ordinance since the mayor’s office has not responded to their calls for dialogue and reassessment of the policy.
“Our real aim is to get rid of that ordinance… Unfortunately, until now, Lacuna still doesn’t want to communicate with us,” he added.
UST employees staged a prayer rally last Aug. 9 to protest the Manila health permit ordinance. The protest, which lasted for about an hour, was held along Lacson Ave. at UST. It was followed by a brief rally organized by student activists who expressed support to the labor unions at the UST Plaza Mayor. F — J.A. Bagas and R.A. Mirasol with reports from Ma. Alyanna Selda
