UST RECTOR Fr. Richard Ang, O.P. does not want discourses on the contentious Manila health permit issue to continue because the University has already “patched things up.”
In an interview with The Flame on Monday, Sept. 9, Ang declined to comment on the topic that stirred controversy before the start of the academic year, saying the issue is over.
“Let us not talk about [Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna] because that issue is over. So, we will not discuss anything which is sensitive or controversial today. So, let’s leave it like that because we already patched things up so we don’t want to continue this discourse regarding that one,” the rector said.
However, Ang, who has been reappointed for a second term, said the dialogue with UST workers is still “ongoing.”
“We already have. The dialogue will be ongoing,” he said.
Ordinance 8793 or the Sanitation and Disinfection Code of Manila requires all personnel working in the capital city to secure a health permit from the Manila Health Department led by Lacuna’s husband Arnold “Poks” Pangan. Under the local government unit (LGU) ordinance, employees must spend a total of P625 every year to renew the health certificate.
Critics have called the policy “financially burdensome” and “downright restrictive” because of its supposed costly medical procedures that can only be done at the city government’s public health laboratory. They have also claimed that the ordinance is discriminatory because practicing professionals have the option to pay for a tax receipt instead of getting a health certificate.
A number of part-time faculty members who did not comply with the requirement were not allowed to teach during the first term. ONE-UST, a coalition of labor unions in the University, has asked Lacuna to use her executive authority to suspend the implementation of the policy pending a review by the city council. The coalition has expressed readiness to question the ordinance’s legality before the court.
‘We cannot fight the Manila LGU’
During his installation address on Monday, Ang reiterated the University’s commitment to meet the requirements of the health permit policy, which has drawn flak from several employees since its implementation in April.
“We have to work harmoniously. We cannot fight the Manila LGU (local government unit), but we will have to support [its] Manila health certificate requirement,” Ang said in a speech delivered at the Santisimo Rosario Parish Church.
The University broke its silence on the issue last Aug. 7 when it vowed to fulfill the requirements of laws and policies, including ordinances, instructed by regulatory agencies, through a public statement. The statement came two days after Pangan issued a memorandum clarifying that all Manila employees have to secure a sanitary permit.
“True to her tradition of excellence and integrity, the University of Santo Tomas is committed to meet the requirements of the laws and policies of regulatory agencies, including ordinances from the Manila City Government,” the UST statement read.
“The University ensures the implementation of relevant measures to achieve timely compliance alongside ongoing dialogues with our stakeholders,” it added.
In a press conference late last month, Lacuna blamed the criticisms against the health permit ordinance on the UST administration’s alleged failure to explain the requirement properly to its workers.
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