MANILA MAYOR Honey Lacuna inaugurated the city’s new public health laboratory on Jan. 8, seven months after a health permit ordinance came under fire for requiring workers to undergo medical tests in what has been described as an “inconvenient” and “unhygienic” testing facility.
Lacuna said the city government and the Manila Health Department, which is led by her husband Arnold “Poks” Pangan, have been constructing the San Lazaro Public Health Laboratory since 2022.
“Unknown to the malicious critics, paid trolls and clout-chasing vloggers, who weeks ago took advantage of the situation at UST, the city hall and the Manila Health Department have been quietly and patiently working on building this new laboratory since 2022,” Lacuna said.
Since the previous year, several labor leaders and employees have been criticizing City Ordinance 8793 or the Sanitation and Disinfection Code of Manila, which requires workers to secure a health permit every year.
Initially, workers were required to undergo medical tests and to submit a valid ID, a filled-out drug test form, biometrics, stool and urine samples at the local government’s public health laboratory in Santa Cruz. They must pay P625 for the medical procedures and renew their sanitary permits annually at the local health facility.
The requirement has been criticized by a number of labor unions as “exploitative” and “discriminatory.” The Manila city government drew more flak after photos circulated online showing what have been labeled as unsanitary and subpar conditions inside the old Manila public health laboratory.
A number of UST academic staff were not given teaching loads for the first term of academic year 2024-2025 because of their failure or refusal to comply with the controversial requirement.
In a recent media forum, Lacuna said the workers’ grievances may have stemmed from the UST administration’s failure to explain the policy properly to its constituents.
Pangan also distanced himself from the health permit deadlines imposed on employees, saying the decision was made by the University officials, not the local government. He added that a professional tax receipt cannot and should not be a replacement for a sanitary permit due to their distinct purposes, a clarification that contradicted a UST memorandum that gave professional licensees an option to secure a tax receipt instead of a health certificate.
Lacuna called the new laboratory a “resounding successful accomplishment” of her administration that would benefit Manileños and businesses in the capital city.
“Ang pagbubukas nitong bagong gawang public health laboratory ay isang konkretong testamento ng ating prayoridad sa kalusugan ng mga kapwa nating Manileño,” Lacuna said.
(The inauguration of the newly-built public health laboratory is a concrete testament of our efforts to prioritize the health of our fellow Manileños.)
According to the mayor, the Department of Health (DOH) has granted the San Lazaro Public Health Laboratory a license to operate as a tertiary clinical laboratory, drug testing laboratory, and laboratory for drinking water bacteriological analysis.
The testing facility also has an animal bite room, drive-thru services, and an X-ray facility—a first for any public health laboratory in Manila. The services, however, are not offered for free.
“When I was vice mayor and presided over the city council in 2021, the capital outlay budget for this lab was put in the 2022 city budget in the amount of P274.936 million. Additional funds of P30.5 million came in 2023 when I was already mayor and DOH regulatory approvals were processed in 2024. All the while, we worked to build this laboratory for Manileños,” Lacuna said.
In September, the Manila Health Department announced that private schools may now choose the facility for the laboratory examinations of their workers who are applying for health permits. Applicants must still pay P365 for health and occupational permits.
During the filing of certificates of candidacy in October, former Manila mayor Isko Moreno vowed to amend the controversial health permit ordinance, which was signed under his watch in 2021. He pointed out that the ordinance was meant to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, which is no longer a public health emergency.
Another candidate for Manila mayor, Tutok to Win party-list Rep. Sam Verzosa, declined to comment on the issue, saying he did not want to join a rift involving other politicians. F — Barbra Althea Gavilan
