THE UST administration has begun dialogues with the Organisasyon ng Nagkakaisang Empleyado ng UST (ONE-UST) to discuss concerns over Manila’s health certificate requirement, which has been widely criticized by UST faculty, support staff, and hospital workers.
In a statement on Aug. 26, ONE-UST outlined the outcomes of the dialogue it had with UST officials on Aug. 19, in which it was represented by UST Faculty Union president Emerito Gonzales, Samahang Manggagawa ng UST president Dan Patricio, and Ugnayan ng mga Nagkakaisang Manggagawa ng UST Hospital president Donelle Siazon.
The UST administrators who attended the dialogue were Vice Rector for Academic Affairs Cheryl Peralta, Secretary General Fr. Louie Coronel, O.P., UST Hospital Director Charito Malong-Consolacion, and UST Human Resources Director Maureen Gelle-Jimenez.
“While the UST Administration explores how to use UST facilities for laboratory testing and ensure compliance with Manila Ordinance 8793, ONE-UST remains committed to pursuing legal action if the Manila Mayor’s Office does not suspend implementation of the ordinance. Our main goal is to ask Mayor (Honey) Lacuna to pause the ordinance’s implementation while it is being amended,” it said.
ONE-UST said UST expressed openness to allowing its hospital facilities to be used in conducting the required laboratory tests to obtain the health certificate. It said Manila was also open to establishing a satellite office at UST by 2025, a request that ONE-UST had made to Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna as early as June.
UST was also willing to shoulder the costs of the tests—an X-ray scan, drug test, urinalysis, and a stool exam—and other related expenses through the employees’ hospitalization and medical benefits fund or another source.
When it came to the consequences of non-compliance for non-tenured faculty members, UST stressed that obtaining a health certificate is required to receive teaching loads.
ONE-UST had asked UST to hire anew the non-compliant probationary and part-time faculty members who were not reappointed in Term 1 of the academic year.
“[N]on-tenured and contractual faculty members may continue teaching next semester if they submit a commitment letter to obtain a Health Permit from the Manila Health Department,” the statement read.
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UST was said to have emphasized the importance of complying with the city’s health requirements, saying it would influence other accreditations the University is applying for, particularly its application for autonomous recognition.
According to ONE-UST, the deadline for securing the health permit was imposed by UST, not the Manila Health Department, to expedite its application for an institutional sanitary permit.
The labor coalition criticized this justification, saying requiring employees to obtain health certificates was “unnecessary” as individual permits were not required for UST to be granted a sanitary permit.
“While we understand the intention behind this approach, we believe that greater transparency would help avoid any misunderstandings,” ONE-UST said. “It’s important that employees feel fully informed and assured that their efforts align with the actual requirements for obtaining the sanitary permit.”
The Varsitarian 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.
ONE-UST also claimed that the lack of consultation and transparency created unnecessary complications, as communications by UST, such as the frequently asked questions, contained “logical inconsistencies and did not align with the ordinance.”
UST will be benchmarking with other Manila-based educational institutions to determine how they implement City Ordinance 8793, according to ONE-UST.
The labor coalition will sit down with UST Rector Fr. Richard Ang, O.P., for another dialogue after his installation on Sept. 9.
“While some colleagues demand accountability for those responsible for flawed policies, ONE-UST emphasizes the importance of moving forward,” it said.
“The Administration should adhere to the principles in our (collective bargaining agreements), emphasizing the need for worker consultation, principled cooperation, and the belief that UST is a caring community,” it continued.
