MONTHS AFTER the health permit controversy emerged in UST, Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna finally addressed the issue, blaming a “misunderstanding” on the part of the University.
Lacuna, in an Aug. 27 news conference, said employees from other Manila universities, other workers, and even street vendors had complied with the requirement.
“‘Yong ibang mga universities nakapag-comply naman sila e, maliban lamang po sa UST na nagkaroon sila ng issue,” she said in the news conference organized by the Manila City Hall Reporters’ Association. “Pilit naman po naming ipinararating sa kanila kung ano po ‘yong gusto namin na sana mangyari.”
Her statement was made in response to a question seeking comments about the criticisms drawn by City Ordinance 8793 from UST employees.
“I think ‘yong pagkaka-explain lang sa kanila ng administration ng UST, doon nagkaroon ng problema—misunderstanding. Siguro kung hindi nagkaroon ng gano’n, maayos naman sanang naipatupad,” Lacuna, a UST alumna, said.
It was Lacuna’s predecessor, former mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, who approved and signed City Ordinance 8793 or the Sanitation and Disinfection Code of the City of Manila in April 2022, shortly before his bid for the presidency.
The ordinance, which has the force of law within the city’s jurisdiction, 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.
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UST enforced the requirement in April 2024 by requiring faculty, support staff, and hospital workers to submit a health certificate issued by the Manila City Health Department and setting deadlines.
Lacuna said she had yet to talk to UST employees.
“Ang administrasyon (UST) lang po ang nakikipag-usap sa amin, ‘yong grupo po na nagrereklamo ay ‘di po namin nakakausap para po mas maliwanagan sana sila,” she said.
Labor unions have been sending letters to Lacuna since June, when it first wrote to the city mayor to raise their concerns about the implementation of the ordinance, particularly the state of the city’s public health laboratory.
The unions, represented by the coalition Organisasyon ng Nagkakaisang Empleyado ng UST (ONE-UST), have also repeatedly requested the deferment of the deadline for complying with the health permit.
ONE-UST on Aug. 26 said it learned during its dialogue with UST administrators that it was the University that had set deadlines for the submission of the health certificate, not the City Health Department nor Lacuna.
READ MORE: UST begins dialogues with labor coalition over Manila health permit
So far, UST unions have only managed to talk with top UST officials like Secretary General Fr. Louie Coronel, O.P., Vice Rector for Academic Affairs Cheryl Peralta, and on Aug. 27, Rector Fr. Richard Ang, O.P.
‘UST lone school complaining about requirement’
Responding earlier to the same question about the health permit controversy, Vice Mayor Yul Servo Nieto said he was puzzled why UST was the only school protesting.
Nieto argued that other schools in the city had complied with the health certificate requirement, which he claimed was crucial to ensuring workers’ well-being.
“Nagtataka lang ako kung bakit ngayon lang siya naging issue (Manila Ordinance 8793). At nagtataka lang din ako kung bakit do’n sa ordinansa na ‘yon ay UST lang ‘yong nagrereklamo,” the vice mayor, who presides over the city council, said.
“‘Di lang naman UST ang eskuwelahan natin pero bukod-tanging sila ‘yong nagrereklamo, at ‘yong iba naman sumusunod.”
The Varsitarian had learned that the City of Manila was closely monitoring UST’s compliance with the health permit requirement after it found UST in violation through a random city-wide check.
The Manila Health Department on Aug. 9 ordered teachers in all schools in the city to secure health certificates, doubling down on the requirement after criticism that it had unfairly singled out UST.
ONE-UST said it would ask Lacuna to suspend the implementation of Ordinance 8793, at least while the city legislation was undergoing review and revision.
Councilor Louisito Chua of the city’s fourth district, principal author of the ordinance, said in an interview published online by the Philippine Star that he was open to reviewing the ordinance.
