Some 13 establishments in Tagbilaran City have been awarded with a safety seal certificate by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for their compliance with the minimum health and safety standards set by the government amid the pandemic.
The Safety Seal Certification Program is an inter-agency program of the DTI, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Health (DOH), and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) that was launched in April this year.
According to Kent Calumba of DTI Bohol, the following establishments have been awarded with the safety seal:
- Island city mall supermarket
- Plaza Marcela Supermarket
- Alta Citta Supermarket
- Alturas Mall Supermarket
- Citi Hardware Dao
- Citi Hardware CPG
- Fixrite Hardware Alturas
- Hyundai Cebu, Inc. Tagbilaran
- TUF Barbershop
- Unitop
- Ford Bohol
- Nailax Salon
- Beauty and Beyond Salon
More establishments have applied for the certification but were still awaiting the approval by various government agencies.
According to Calumba, the safety seal certification was launched in an effort to have uniformity in the implementation of basic health safety protocols in establishments.
“Voluntary ni siya, dili requirement. Pero ato g’yud ning gi-encourage tungod kay lain-lain man gud og pamaagi ang ubang establishments, so atoang gibuhat ning safety seal para pud ma standardize ang pagpatuman sa at least minimum health and safety protocols,” said Calumba.
The certification may also be used to promote an establishment for its compliance with basic health safety protocols as the official called on the public to patronize establishments with safety seal certification as part of efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Calumba said both government and private establishments may apply for the certification by submitting eligibility requirements showing that they are observing minimum public health standards set by the Inter-Agency Task Force for Infectious and Emerging Diseases.
Application may be done online.
Calumba said applications should be submitted to the concerned agency overseeing the industry in which an establishment belongs or the local government unit (LGU).
Supermarkets and hotels, for instance, will have to apply through the DTI and DOT, respectively.
Applicants need to have a business permit and any LGU-approved contact-tracing app which may be used by their customers.
“Tanan na mo apply hilanglan naay silay contact-tracing app aron malikayan ng magsuwat-suwat pa sa ballpen, sa log book. Usa na sa pinaka vital na hilanglan para makakuha og safety seal and of course, compliance with minimum public health standards,” Calumba said. (A. Doydora)