The government’s Safety Seal Certification program, which certifies an establishment for its compliance with the minimum public health standards (MPHS), is one of the government’s public-private sector’s collaborative efforts to reopen the economy and ensure its growth path safely.
Safety Seal requirements include a valid Mayor’s permit, compliance with the minimum public health standards, and registration with the StaySafe.ph or any LGU-mandated digital contact tracing application.
All an establishment has to do is download the app and do a self-assessment. Once ready, the owner may now request for inspection by the local government unit, the Department of Trade and Industry or the Department of Labor and Employment.
Although voluntary, the Safety Seal Certification is strongly encouraged because it will boost consumer and business confidence.
Why? Because once certified, an establishment in a general community quarantine status in the National Capital Region Plus, would be granted additional 10 percent operating capacity.
This additional capacity should help ease the high unemployment rate in the country. According to the DTI, there are still an estimated one million Filipinos jobless at this point because of the quarantine restrictions.
This means more customers can be accommodated in an establishment and more workers employed. The public or customers will also be encouraged to patronize these establishments because they know they are safe.
If there is no work it is certain that our fellow Filipinos will continue to suffer from poverty and their families experiencing hunger. Poverty would lead to many social ills like malnutrition, poor mental capacity, literacy issues, poor values, crimes, and economic stagnation.
As individuals, we can help by observing the MPHS because that is the best way to keep the virus at bay. For establishments, following the same and getting the safety seal certification are essential to going back to operation safely. Getting vaccinated is the last step towards full protection from the disease for oneself and for others.
In doing so, we can help create more jobs and reintegrate the jobless back to the workforce.
This is could be our little way of exercising heroism and patriotism by helping in creating jobs to end poverty and hunger because becoming a hero does not mean dying, but by being able to save lives.