The Bago City Hall in Negros Occidental is compliant with the public health and safety standards set by the national government and uses the StaySafe.ph application for its contact tracing.
Mayor Nicholas Yulo and Vice Mayor Ramon Torres received the Safety Seal certification from the inspection and certification team, led by Mia Asuncion Gatilogo of the Department of Interior and Local Government, with chief of police John Joel Batusbatusan and city fire marshal Jun Michael Manuel as members, in rites held at the Bago City Hall yesterday, attended by City Human Resource Management officer and City Administrator-Designate Tricia Matti, General Services Office head Leo Pahilanga, and other officials.
The Safety Seal Certification Program is a voluntary certification scheme that seeks to increase consumer confidence amid the prevailing health crisis. It aims to assure the public of the compliance of establishments with minimum public health standards set by the government, a press release from the city said.
It also encourages the adoption of the Staysafe.ph app to strengthen the contact tracing initiative to effectively contain the spread of Covid-19 and reopen the economy.
It is a program of the Department of Trade and Industry, with the Department of Health, DILG, Department of Tourism, and the Department of Labor and Employment under Joint Memorandum Circular No. 21-01.
Under the joint memo, all government buildings and commercial establishments must be certified and inspected to get a safety seal. It is renewable every six months to assure continuous compliance, while tourism enterprises are required to renew annually.
For government entities, the inspection and certification team is composed of the DILG, PNP, and BFP. For business establishments, the team is led by the Business Permit and Licensing Office with the City Health Office, DRRM, PNP, and Information Office and other offices deemed necessary by the mayor as members.
The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, led by Dr. Merijene Ortizo, and the Bago City Fire Station were also awarded their safety seals yesterday.*
