MANILA -- Businesses nationwide are adopting the Safety Seal to assure the public that safe health protocols are put in place in their establishments amid the various quarantine restrictions.

A total of 43,332 public and private establishments have been issued Safety Seal Certifications as of 1 October 2021, through the joint efforts of the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Tourism (DOT), and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). The Safety Seal Certification program indicates the compliance of establishments to the minimum public health standards (MPHS) set by the government.

DTI Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said the certification program is indeed beneficial to the country's recovering economy as it boosts the confidence of consumers in going out and patronizing business in the new normal with the assurance that a business establishment is compliant with health protocols.

The trade chief encouraged more businesses to adopt the seal as an effective measure in curbing the spread of the COVID-19 virus. "Businesses can do their share in the fight against the pandemic and create a healthy space for consumers to transact their purchases and for employees to gainfully and safely earn a living," Lopez added.

DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año, on the other hand, told owners of establishments, especially those in areas under strict quarantine restrictions, to take this time to apply for a Safety Seal. "Applying for a Safety Seal is not mandatory. However, business establishments are highly encouraged to apply since this will also help them attract customers which eventually lead to increased sales and profit," he said.

Since its implementation in May 2021, a total of 85,731 applications were received by the issuing agencies as reported by the Safety Seal Technical Working Group (TWG); 50.54% or 43,332 applications were approved while 11.50% or 9,858 applications were either denied or referred to the appropriate agency. The remaining percentage represents those that are still in the inspection process.

"I commend and congratulate the establishments that have taken the lead in securing their Safety Seal certifications. This will build confidence that their respective companies are committed to ensuring the health and safety of their stakeholders and workers," said DOLE Secretary Silvestre "Bebot" Bello III.

Pursuant to the DOH-DILG-DOLE-DOT-DTI Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) No. 21-01 Series of 2021, otherwise known as the Implementing Guidelines of the Safety Seal Certification Program, a business establishment is eligible to apply for a Safety Seal given that it is duly registered, adopting the Staysafe.ph or any other Local Government Unit (LGU) - mandated digital contact tracing application, and most importantly, strictly following and implementing the MPHS set by the government.

"The implementation of the Safety Seal Program is a very laudable initiative that highly reinforces our country's response to combat COVID-19. As we gradually reopen our economy, it is important to ensure that our people are safe, and adherence to Minimum Public Health Standards is one vital key to this aspect," said Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III.

Likewise, the DOT reaches out to tourism establishment owners to take this step. "The Safety Seal certification program bodes well with the DOT's priority to ensure the health and safety of both tourists and tourism workers. That being said, I am encouraging all tourism establishments to apply for a Safety Seal, strictly comply with the health and safety guidelines, and have all their employees vaccinated. Let us continue to make travel fun and safe for all," said DOT Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat.

The Safety Seal TWG assures the public that the government continuously exerts the best efforts with a whole-of-government and whole-of-society coordination in support of the Inter-Agency Task Force against COVID-19's (IATF) Prevent-Detect-Isolate-Treat-Reintegrate (PDITR) strategy.

Moreover, they urged the public to be more informed of various ways to keep safe from COVID-19 and its variants, following the announcement on the new classification framework advocating the principles of 3C's (Closed, Crowded, and Close Contact) Strategy. This framework employs Alert Level Systems that shall determine, among others, the protocols and allowable operational capacity of business establishments per city/municipality.

Since September 16, Metro Manila is classified under Alert Level 4. This implies that establishments and/or activities classified as high-risk for transmission shall not be allowed to operate. For the allowed operational capacity of dine-in and al fresco restaurants, barbershops, personal care services, and the likes, the complete Alert Level Systems guidelines may be viewed here.

For more information regarding the Safety Seal's respective application processes by the issuing agencies, please visit the following microsites:

DILG/LGU: https://safetyseal.dilg.gov.ph/

DOLE: https://bwc.dole.gov.ph/safetyseal

DOT: https://philippines.travel/accreditation/safetyseal

DTI: https://dti.gov.ph/safetyseal (DOH-DILG-DOLE-DOT-DTI)

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