DILG threatens to revoke business permits of erring firms

CEBU, Philippines —  Business establishments may have their safety seal certifications revoked or their business permits suspended if they violate COVID-19 safety protocols, the Department of Interior and Local Government warned yesterday.

This came after DILG received numerous complaints from the public about alleged violations on the cap on operational capacity and failure to implement the requirement of fully vaccinated individuals only in indoor establishments.

Among these establishments are restaurants, amusement parks, recreational venues, fitness studios, and gyms, etc.

“Many restaurants and indoor establishments are not checking the vaccination status of their customers and are violating the 50% operational capacity for indoor establishments and 70% operational capacity of outdoor establishments,” said DILG Undersecretary and Spokesperson Jonathan Malaya in a statement.

According to the Department of Trade and Industry, a safety seal is a voluntary certification scheme that affirms that an establishment is compliant with the minimum public health standards (MPHS) set by the government.

The seal means that concerned establishments are integrated into the contact tracing platform called StaySafe.ph for easy tracing of possible COVID-19 probables. The seal also gives the recipient an additional 10% operational capacity.

However, this certification may be revoked by the issuing authority if an establishment is found to be non-compliant with any of the health protocols and regulations.

The seal is valid for six months for most establishments, and one year for those in tourism enterprise.

Suspension of biz permits

Aside from revoking the safety seal certification, DILG also threatened to suspend or revoke the business permits issued by the local government unit against repeat violators or those without safety seals.

Also, LGUs are told to create inspection and certification teams to lead in the granting of safety seals to establishments compliant with the MPHS.

Personnel of the Philippine National Police and the Bureau of Fire Protection may also be deputized by LGUs to conduct safety seal inspections if they lack the personnel to do so.

Malaya asked LGUs and the police to conduct more inspections of establishments to ensure compliance with COVID-19 guidelines and for LGUs to issue show-cause orders against violators.

“We cannot be complacent at this time. Even if cases are going down and vaccination is going up, we cannot put our guards down. Look at Europe. Their vaccination rate is high but they are now undergoing a new surge,” he said.

“Vigilance will prevent another surge,” he added.

The public is also encouraged to report violations of MPHS to the concerned issuing authority of the safety seals, including DTI, DILG, DOLE, DOT or LGUs so that these can be immediately investigated upon and appropriate sanctions can be imposed

Violations by business establishments with safety seals issued by the DILG or LGUs may be reported to the DILG Public Assistance Hotline at 892-50343; 892-51144; 09274226300; or 09313849272. — JMD (FREEMAN)