DOH urged to go easy on massage therapists on licensing

Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III. Photo by INQUIRER.net/RYAN LEAGOGO

The Department of Health (DOH) should ease its requirements on massage therapy and suspend its “no license, no massage” administrative order to give Filipinos another viable alternative livelihood, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said on Wednesday.

“In a country that needs to provide its less fortunate citizens with opportunities to earn an honest living, [the] government should find ways to open the doors for gainful employment and not the other way around,” Pimentel said.

The DOH issued an administrative order in 2010, which prohibits massage therapists from plying their trade without a valid certificate issued by the committee of examiners for massage therapy and approved by the health secretary.

To become a licensed massage therapist, one should be at least a high school graduate and must undergo six months of training before taking a licensure exam administered twice a year.

The training program, conducted only in DOH-accredited training centers, costs P8,000 to P15,000.

The DOH had previously instructed all spas and massage clinics in the country to hire only certified massage therapists, warning that untrained hands could cause catastrophic results.

Carotid area

Then Health Secretary Enrique Ona warned that a wrong massage in the neck or carotid area could lead to a stroke.

Pimentel said that while he understood why the DOH set such criteria, “imposing unreasonably restrictive requirements on licensed massage therapists could negatively impact an industry that employs thousands of our citizens, including Filipinos with disabilities.”

“It’s a painful reality that many of our people cannot afford to go to school and obtain [a] high school [diploma]. But that shouldn’t prevent them from getting employed,” he added.

Pimentel said the DOH should work with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) to develop a more “inexpensive, accessible and inclusive” training system for massage therapy.

Tesda has enough training centers nationwide that offer massage therapy courses for free or at a minimal fee, he said.

“The DOH should just help Tesda improve its training so that a massage therapist only needs one license or certificate,” he added.

Tesda issues a national certificate II to massage therapists that, Pimentel said, is also recognized abroad.

The DOH and Tesda can learn a lot from Thailand, which is known for its massage industry, he said.

“From what I understand, Thai massage therapists only need to undergo 150 hours of training and attend a one-week seminar before becoming accredited,” he added.