MANILA MAYOR Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso clarified on Wednesday, March 11, that those working for educational institutions no longer need to secure an annual health permit, a requirement that has been labeled by UST labor groups as “unnecessary,” “questionable” and “costly.”
Only new applicants and workers in specific sectors, such as food businesses, are required to obtain the document from the local government, according to Domagoso.
“They don’t have to worry, those from UST. Your city government literally addressed that problem in the past,” Domagoso said in an interview sent to The Flame.
“We are still strict with sanitation and permit requirements, but it doesn’t mean that the government would be part of the struggles of workers. While we take care of the sanitation, cleanliness, and all other things, but, in the same manner, we don’t want to be a burden to our workers,” he added.
When asked if a formal document on the amendments would be released, Domagoso said the updated health regulations have been communicated to Manila Health Department chief Grace Padilla.
He also allayed the concerns of those who were affected by “unnecessary” regulation, saying while a health permit is still needed as a general rule, it only applies to some industries.
The much-criticized health permit policy sparked controversy in 2024 after UST began requiring faculty members and staff to obtain the P625 certificate in pursuance of Ordinance 8793, which was issued during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.
Various UST labor groups urged then Manila mayor Maria Sheila “Honey” Lacuna-Pangan to revoke the ordinance, which they called “costly” and “exploitative.” They also raised issues over what they described as the “unhygienic” local government facilities where the medical procedures are conducted, as testing in other hospitals for the permit was initially prohibited.
READ: ‘Unjust,’ ‘costly:’ UST employees slam Manila health permit requirement
The city’s health department later on issued a memorandum mandating all academic institutions in Manila to comply with the requirement, after UST workers had claimed that the implementation of the ordinance was “selective.”
The Manila Health Department also relaxed the policy by no longer requiring employees to take health examinations in the city government’s health facility and by cutting the permit cost from P625 to P365.
READ: All Manila schools now required to follow controversial health permit policy
A number of faculty members were not given teaching load for one term for failing or refusing to comply with the requirement.
In a previous interview with The Flame, Domagoso, who was filing his candidacy for Manila mayoralty, vowed to amend the health permit ordinance, as it was created for the pandemic.
READ: Isko vows amendments to health permit policy as he seeks to reclaim Manila mayoral post
“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,” he said on Oct. 8, 2024.
In January this year, the Organisasyon ng Nagkakaisang Empleyado – UST (ONE-UST), a coalition of labor groups in the University, called on the local government to issue a formal memorandum containing its amendments to the ordinance.
“We have learned that the City of Manila has already introduced changes to the policy, to the effect that the health permit requirement will be applied only to new applicants and not to teachers and employees who are already employed,” ONE-UST said in a letter addressed to Domagoso.
The group said an official issuance of the amended ordinance would relieve teaching and non-teaching staff of “avoidable inconvenience, expense and anxiety.”
The coalition added that the absence of a public document has caused the health permit policy to be inconsistently implemented across educational institutions.
“A clear memorandum will help ensure uniformity in implementation, prevent unnecessary concerns on the part of tenured teachers and regular employees, and promote orderly compliance with the city’s public health regulations,” ONE-UST said. F
