A COALITION of UST labor groups has urged Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna to use her authority to suspend the implementation of the controversial health permit ordinance until it has been reviewed by the city council.
In a report on its dialogue with government representatives, Organisasyon ng Nagkakaisang Empleyado-UST (ONE-UST) said Lacuna should exercise her executive authority to address the workers’ concerns over the policy.
The labor coalition reiterated that it is ready to challenge the ordinance before the court if Lacuna continues to dismiss its call to review the policy.
“Given the significant public concerns and the misapplication of Ordinance No. 8793, we believe the mayor should take a direct role in resolving this issue, rather than deferring it to the relevant department,” the report dated Sept. 5 read.
“However, if this request remains unaddressed, ONE-UST, CoTeSCUP and other affected groups will pursue legal action and petition the courts to halt the ordinance’s implementation,” it added.
The report was signed by UST Faculty Union president Emerito Gonzales, Samahang Manggagawa-UST president Dan Paul Patricio and Ugnayan ng Nagkakaisang Manggagawa-UST Hospital president Donell John Siazon.
The dialogue, which tackled the concerns raised by several employees on the health permit requirement, was attended by Department of Labor and Employment-National Capital Region lawyers Frankie Comia and Joel Petaca and representatives of employees’ groups ONE-UST, Education Industry Tripartite Council (EITC) and Council of Teachers and Staff of Colleges and Universities of the Philippines (CoTeSCUP).
The ONE-UST report quoted Comia as saying that while the mayor is responsible for the enforcement of the ordinance’s provisions, the proposed amendments must be directed and reviewed by the city council under the supervision of Vice Mayor Yul Servo, who manages legislative procedures.
“While we understand that amending the ordinance is the responsibility of the city council, we also recognize that the Mayor of Manila has the executive authority, as well as the political influence over city council members, to address concerns related to the enforcement of local ordinances,” ONE-UST said.
Concerns over the city ordinance emerged following the memorandum issued by the Office of the Vice Rector for Finance in April, which mandated the University’s teaching and non-teaching staff to secure a health permit from the Manila Health Department led by Lacuna’s husband Arnold “Poks” Pangan.
Several employees have complained about the “unkempt” and “inconvenient” testing facilities of the designated testing facility, as well as the P625 cost of securing a health permit, which has to be renewed every year. Some workers have also warned that the policy, which has been described as “exploitative” and “discriminatory,” could disrupt the operations of the University.
The ordinance has also been criticized by workers outside UST who claimed that their schools are not required to secure a permit.
In a recent press conference, Lacuna said the grievances of employees may have stemmed from the UST administration’s failure to properly relay the policy to its personnel.
READ: UST admin failed to explain health permit policy properly, Manila mayor claims
According to ONE-UST, Comia backed the amendments proposed by CoTeSCUP and ONE-UST, which addresses the supposed “exclusivity of an accredited laboratory” and the “financial burden” placed on workers.
The report said Comia is pursuing a dialogue with the city council to discuss a “unified stance” on the issue and to avoid “unnecessary” court proceedings. The Manila Health Department has requested a legal opinion on the complaints, the labor coalition added.
Comia invited the city health office to a meeting with labor groups on Monday, Sept. 9, to further discuss the concerns related to the ordinance, ONE-UST said. F
