Makati supermarket employees yield fake city health certificates

This photo shows the facade of the Makati City Hall. – Makati discovered fake health clearance certificates from 48 employees of a supermarket operating in the city. The employees allegedly obtained their fake city health clearance certificates from a coworker who charged them P1,000 each so they could circumvent the required procedure to get the permit. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Makati discovered fake health clearance certificates from 48 employees of a supermarket operating in the city.

City health officer Ronald Unson said the discovery came after their Veterinary Services Department “became suspicious” of documents submitted by two meat handlers of the supermarket who were applying for a Meat Handler’s Permit.

Following verification with the Makati Health Department and Business Permit and Licensing Office, it was found that 48 employees of the supermarket had fake health clearance certificates.

“According to the supermarket’s management, they did not check the documents against the city’s official Health Clearance Certificate system, which would have caught the fakes,” Unson said in a statement Monday.

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The employees allegedly obtained their fake city health clearance certificates from a coworker who charged them P1,000 each so they could circumvent the required procedure to get the permit.

“It is the responsibility of employers to see to it that their employees strictly comply with health and safety regulations of the city. Allowing workers to commit fraud to skip proper health checks puts the public at risk of contracting infectious diseases,” Unson added.

The incident prompted Makati Mayor Abby Binay to direct a strict inspection of work permits of employees at all establishments operating in the city.

“This is a stern reminder that we will not tolerate any actions that compromise the health and safety of our citizens,” Binay said in the same statement.

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The local government said its Law Department is looking to file criminal charges against the 48 employees for falsification of official documents.

Under City Ordinance 2019-A-102, a worker at non-food-related establishments in Makati City can get a health certificate for only P80 while a worker at food-related establishments, and executives, managers, and supervisors can get it for P100 and P150, respectively.

An additional P50 is also charged for the seminar and processing of health certificate applications.

Employees without health certificates will be penalized with a P1,000 fine for the first offense, P2,000 for the second offense, and P3,000 for the third offense. The owner of the establishment will shoulder the penalties.