A COALITION of teachers from various Manila universities has written to Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna to junk the city ordinance requiring health permits, echoing concerns raised by UST labor unions.
In a letter dated July 31, the Council of Teachers and Staff of Colleges and Universities in the Philippines (CoTeSCUP) outlined multiple financial, legal, and ethical considerations that it said would merit a review of the ordinance.
CoTeSCUP underscored the “discriminatory” and “counterproductive” implementation of Manila Ordinance 8793, which mandates employees to secure a health permit to be eligible to work in a Manila establishment.
“We have noted discrepancies where some private schools in Manila do not require health permits for their employees, creating an uneven application of the ordinance,” it said.
CoTeSCUP includes labor unions at Mapua University, Lyceum of the Philippines University, Far Eastern University, Centro Escolar University, St. Paul University Manila, De La Salle University, and UST.
Assoc. Prof. Rene Tadle, a UST philosophy faculty and CoTeSCUP president, told the Varsitarian that the letter by the teachers’ group was issued in solidarity with the Organisasyon ng Nagkakaisang Empleyado ng UST (ONE-UST).
ONE-UST, a coalition of UST faculty, support staff, and hospital personnel, had criticized the “discriminatory nature” of the ordinance’s implementation, claiming it was applied unfairly both within and outside the University.
“It’s painful because UST, which is supposed to teach its students to be critical thinkers, would force and threaten its workers to follow a highly questionable ordinance,” he said. “We are ready to go to Court if nothing happens.”
CoTeSCUP also said requiring employees to secure the permit, which costs P625 excluding the payment for the X-ray exam, is “financially burdensome” and redundant as many establishments conduct annual health checkups.
Citing the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 and the Department of Labor and Employment Order 53-03 issued in 2003, both of which require only randomized drug testing, the teachers’ group said Manila’s mandate “indiscriminately place[s] every worker to drug testing.”
“Mandatory drug testing involves privacy considerations. Any compulsory testing must be reasonable, serve a legitimate public purpose, and be the least intrusive method to achieve its objectives,” the CoTeSCUP said.
The Manila Health Department mandates that a drug test, urinalysis, and stool exam be performed at the frequently crowded and substandard public health laboratory on Alvarez Street, which was previously the location of the Sta. Cruz Public Library.
However, professionals who have obtained the annual professional tax receipt, including lawyers, doctors, and licensed teachers, are exempted from this requirement by law.
“While professionals such as doctors and lawyers are governed by their respective boards and may adhere to different standards, the exemption for these groups must be clearly justified and harmonized with the principle of equal protection,” the CoTeSCUP said.
Manila Ordinance 8793, or the Sanitation and Disinfection Code of the City of Manila, was enacted on Dec. 2, 2021, under former Manila mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso. Ella Mae A. Sison with reports from Hannah Joyce V. Andaya
