DILG urges establishments: Acquire, display safety seals

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Thursday urged establishments and offices to secure and display their safety seal certifications.

According to the DILG, safety seal indicates that an establishment adheres to minimum public health standards against COVID-19.

“Although it is not mandatory, it is highly encouraged since it will help them assure their consumers and themselves that they are compliant with minimum public health standards set by the government,” Interior spokesman Jonathan Malaya said at the DOH Kapihan briefing.

Eligibility requirements to obtain a safety seal include a mayor’s permit, StaySafe QR code, a screening or isolation area for big establishments, availability of handwashing stations and sanitizers, physical barriers, and adequate air ventilation, among others.

Malaya also urged establishments and offices to display their safety seal certifications in their social media sites.

“It’s a badge of honor so the business establishment can actually display the logo of the seal in any of their social media accounts or their website… maybe we can encourage them to do so,” he said.

Safety seals issued

Meanwhile, the DILG and local government units have received a total of 99,765 applications for safety seals, of which 59,139 have been approved.

Malaya said the DILG, which certifies city halls, barangay halls, police and fire stations, jail facilities, as well as national government agencies, received a total of 42,548 applications. Of this, 19,092 were approved.

Meanwhile, LGUs that are in charge of certifying establishments within their jurisdiction, received a total of 57,217, of which 40,047 were approved.

This does not include establishments certified by the Department of Tourism, Department of Trade and Industry, and Department of Labor and Employment.

Data provided by Malaya showed that DILG-issued safety seals were highest in Region I at 2,931, the National Capital Region at 2,453, and Region V at 2,297.

On the other hand, LGU-issued safety seals were highest in NCR at 11,999; Region VII at 7,220; and Region IV-A at 4,243.

“We also have issued a stern warning to establishments that their safety seals could be revoked if they are not consistently implementing the provisions of the guidelines,” Malaya said.

Establishments found with a violation may have their business permit or mayor’s permit suspended.

Meanwhile, Malaya said DILG-issued safety seals are only valid for six months.

“Dahil kung minsan po nagmimintis ang ating mga kakabayan, nagiging complacent, so it’s important for us to do a reinspection again after six months to ensure that they are continuously complying with the provision,” he said.

(Because sometimes they become complacent, so it’s important for us to do a reinspection again after six months to ensure continued compliance.)

A total of 8,107 safety seal applications were denied or referred, of which 7,653 were DILG-issued and 454 were LGU-issued.

Malaya said they deny a lot of government offices as the DILG wants to stress that government must be the first to comply with regulations.

“We really make sure that all of the requirements are followed and that the documents that are submitted by the various government offices are complete para hindi tayo mapulaan ng ating mga kababayan,” he said.

Malaya said some government offices have engineering solutions or issues such as the lack of space and lack of clear ventilation.

“Pwedeng hindi ‘yung buong city hall ang mabigyan mo ng seal, pwedeng paisa-isa sa mga opisina, because every office has a different seat problem,” he said.

(It’s possible that the whole city hall will not be given a safety seal, only certain offices because every office has a different seat problem.)

“‘Yun ang lagi namin nakikita, dikit-dikit and then walang barriers between the desks ng mga opisina, so we ask them to rectify that first before they are issued a safety seal,” he added.

(We usually observe lack of spaces, and then there are no barriers between the desks in offices. So we ask them to fix the setup before they are issued a safety seal.) —LBG, GMA News