THE MANILA Health Department has officially clarified the city’s health certificate mandate, saying all workers, including licensed professionals, must pay for and secure the document every year.
In an Oct. 7 memorandum, Manila’s health chief, Dr. Arnold “Poks” Pangan, also made a major concession: private schools may choose the laboratory that will conduct the tests.
The clarification came after labor groups questioned several provisions of the Manila’s City Ordinance 8793. Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna blamed UST in August for “misunderstanding” the policy.
READ: ‘Misunderstanding’ by UST caused Manila health permit issue — Lacuna
This was a shift from the previous policy that all tests must be conducted at Manila’s public health laboratory, except the X-ray exam.
To monitor employees’ compliance, the Manila Health Department ordered private schools to submit a list of their employees who had tested negative in the stool examination, X-ray, and a random drug test.
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Manila will collect P365 from private school employees applying for health certificates who have had their tests conducted at a third-party facility. This amount covers the health certificate fee (P100), occupational permit (P235), and convenience fee (P30).
Previously, all workers were ordered to pay P625 for the health certificate, an amount that includes fees for laboratory tests, except X-rays, conducted at Manila’s public health laboratory.
Employees of private schools are exempt from undergoing the mandatory drug test, but new job applicants must still undergo screening to be granted a health permit. Drug screenings will still be conducted at Manila’s public health laboratory.
“Employers may choose to implement their own internal policies regarding drug testing in accordance with the regulatory policies (ie., random drug testing as stipulated in Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act) and with their institutional regulations,” the memorandum read.
Licensed professionals, part-timers
In the memorandum, Pangan also clarified that part-time employees and licensed professionals must obtain the health certificate annually.
Part-time workers with full-time jobs outside Manila must obtain a health permit from the local government of the city where they are primarily employed.
UST made the health certificate mandatory in April. Part-time faculty who failed to comply were not recommended for reappointment.
Pangan emphasized that holders of a professional tax receipt (PTR) are not exempt from this policy, stating that the health permit and the PTR — a city government tax — cannot be used interchangeably.
READ: Licensed professionals, lawyers not exempted from health certificate – Manila health dept
“Given the distinct purposes of these two documents, it is crucial to understand that a PTR cannot and should not be used as a substitute for a health certificate,” he said.
Memoranda from the Office of the Vice Rector for Finance and the Office of the Secretary General had indicated that PTR holders could opt not to secure a health certificate.
The Manila Health Department’s memorandum followed a dialogue with members of the Education Industry Tripartite Council-NCR, including representatives from the labor coalition Organisasyon ng Nagkakaisang Empleyado ng UST. Amanda Luella A. Rivera
