ONE of Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso’s first acts back as Manila mayor will be to order a review of the controversial City Ordinance 8793, the local sanitation and disinfection code passed during his first term amid the Covid-19 pandemic, a labor party-list representative said.
Kamanggagawa Rep. Eli San Fernando, who spoke with Domagoso weeks before he assumed office, said the incoming mayor would “adjust the implementation of Ordinance 8793” as soon as he assumes office on June 30.
“Ang pronouncement na rin kasi ni Mayor Isko Moreno na on the first day na siya ay makabalik sa Manila City Hall, part ng unang order of business niya itong pag-amyenda sa Manila Ordinance 8793,” San Fernando told the Varsitarian.
City Ordinance 8793 was enacted in December 2021 in one of Domagoso’s final acts in office.
It mandates all Manila workers to obtain health certificates annually from the Manila Health Department, which sparked controversy in UST when it was strictly enforced in April 2024, later leading to the non-renewal of contracts of some non-tenured faculty who did not comply.
The ordinance has a section covering educational institutions, mandating schools to comply with sanitation rules, including requiring faculty and support staff to get health certificates from the city health department, or face fines and closure.
San Fernando said Domagoso wanted to revise the ordinance to fit the post-pandemic context.
“Napag-usapan lang namin is that he is more than willing to review the Manila Ordinance 8793 and make it more suitable, if that’s the right term. Mas akma sa panahon niyo yan kasi, again, the context is the ordinance was passed during the height of Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.
Domagoso previously vowed swift action on the ordinance in an exclusive interview with the Varsitarian.
“If I get elected, pagdating ng araw ‘pag nakabalik tayo, aamiyendahan ko ‘yang batas na ‘yan,” he said in November 2024, adding that he would urge the city council to amend the ordinance “the following day” after his return.
“Kung alam mo na hindi na siya kapaki-pakinabang, hindi na siya effective, the least thing that you can do is to implement it; the best thing that you can do is to amend it.”
According to the San Fernando, the reviews are expected to focus on Chapter 3 Section 11, or the “Exclusivity of Laboratory Examination and Accreditation,” which mandates employees to submit to laboratory examinations at any government-owned or private laboratory accredited by the Department of Health and recognized by the Manila Health Department.
“It’s not entirely wrong na pumunta dito sa mga accredited clinics, but the point is sa UST Hospital, the workers believe mas competent ‘yung UST Hospital to provide the details needed or to secure the health certificate or health permit needed by the City Hall,” San Fernando added.
Before being elected as Kamanggagawa Party-list’s representative, San Fernando was indicted for cyber libel in October 2024 over a viral video accusing Dr. Arnold “Poks” Pangan, Manila’s outgoing health chief, of corruption in connection with the ordinance.
UST has since revised its health certificate application process by offering free laboratory tests at its health facilities for regular or tenured employees. The health certificate, however, remains a work requirement.
