FORMER MANILA mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso promised to amend the much-criticized health permit ordinance if he reclaims the mayoral post in 2025, saying the policy was only timely and necessary during the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Facing the media after filing his certificate of candidacy (COC) last Oct. 8, Domagoso said the policy, which was approved during his term as mayor, should be modified to make it attuned to present needs since it was meant to be a response to the global health crisis.
“‘Yung mga taga-USTe… manatag kayo, a-amendahan ko ‘yung batas. Tapos na pandemic. Ang mga ibang requisitos na hindi na kailangan [ay a-amendahan] because at that time we [needed] to create laws, ‘no? Pero manatag kayo [na] babaguhin natin ang sistema,” Domagoso said in response to a question from The Flame.
(Those from UST… rest assured, I will amend the law. The pandemic is over. The requirements that are no longer needed [will be amended] because at that time we [needed] to create laws, right? But rest assured [that] we will change the system.)
“Alam mo, yung pagbabago ng batas [ay] kung babagay sa panahon (You know, the changes in the law are if it suits the times). If there’s no need [for] a particular set of people in their respective field of undertaking, [it] should be amended and deleted or maybe [modified] in a lighter way or options [should] be given particularly to the workers,” the former mayor added.
The policy stirred controversy in late April when the UST Office of the Vice Rector for Finance released a memorandum directing all teaching and non-teaching personnel to obtain a health certificate worth P625 every year to comply with Ordinance 8793.
Labor groups have claimed that the requirement was designed to “exploit” workers and could disrupt the operations of the University. A number of faculty members were barred from teaching during the first term for not complying with the ordinance.
A recent report by ONE-UST, the University’s labor coalition, quoted the UST administration as saying that city officials have expressed willingness to revise the ordinance to address the concerns of employees.
Following talks between union leaders and city health officials, the Manila Health Department recently allowed private school employees to choose any health facility for the laboratory tests needed to obtain the permit. Previously, workers were required to undergo procedures, such as the submission or urine and stool samples, at the facilities of the Manila city government, which has been described by some workers as “below average” and “unsanitary.”
Lacuna: City council to decide on ordinance
In a separate interview, Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna said she would leave it up to the city council to decide whether to introduce changes to the ordinance.
“Nasa konseho po iyon kung may ia-amend sila (It is now up to the council to determine if they will amend it),” she said after filing her COC for reelection last Oct 3.
Lacuna added that the UST administration and the Manila Health Department have reached an agreement on the health permit ordinance but did not elaborate.
Lacuna was an ally of Domagoso when she sought reelection as Manila vice mayor in 2019. A Thomasian alumna, Lacuna became the first female mayor of the capital city in 2022.
Domagoso, a former actor, served as Manila mayor from 2019 to 2022. He ran for president during the 2022 polls but lost.
Verzosa mum on policy
Tutok To Win party-list Rep. Sam Verzosa, who is also running for Manila mayor, declined to comment on the ordinance, saying he does not want to meddle in a squabble among politicians.
“I do not want to join the quarrels and debates of politicians. I am just here to introduce real change, option and hope to the people,” Verzosa, also the CEO of Frontrow, told reporters in Filipino after filing his COC last Oct. 6.
Ordinance 8793 or the Sanitation and Disinfection Code of the City of Manila was signed by Moreno on April 6, 2022. F
