The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said over 100 firms in Metro Manila that violated health protocols amid the ongoing pandemic were directed to implement corrective actions.
The surveillance and monitoring division of DTI Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau (FTEB) inspected 779 firms in Metro Manila in January to March 12. It issued 121 requests for corrective actions.
The Trade department said the usual violations among the surveyed establishments were lack of contract tracing or health declaration forms and thermal scanner upon entry. In addition, the personnel in these firms were not wearing their face shields properly.
Majority or 79 of the firms found in violation have already complied with the DTI order while 6 are still waiting for corrective actions. Thirty-six cases were endorsed to the local government units for further investigation.
“Our inspection and monitoring efforts are done every week to regularly check if business establishments here in NCR [National Capital Region] strictly follow the health protocols prescribed in our guidelines,” Trade Undersecretary Ruth B. Castelo said.
DTI-FTEB Director Ronnel O. Abrenica suggested that firms put additional safety measures, including designation of safety officers and creation of a sanitizing schedule. It would also be helpful to post informative materials regarding the health protocol reminders, he said.
“We want to assure consumers that we are doing these surveillance activities to further boost customer confidence in conducting business transactions while under strict health protocol measures, to strike a balance between public health and regaining economic momentum,” Abrenica said.
DTI’s inspection is in compliance with the government-mandated minimum health protocols following the Inter-Agency Task Force directive.
According to the agency’s latest impact assessment survey, the number of businesses that have stopped operations during this pandemic has gone down to 4.6 percent. The survey was conducted from January 28 to February 10.
Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez, in an earlier statement, said the figure peaked last year at 34.2 percent. It went down to 10 percent in October and further declined to 5 percent by November last year.
The declining number means that more businesses are reopening again, he added.
“Given the important role of MSMEs [micro, small and medium enterprises] helping to rebuild our economy, DTI’s efforts are directed towards their swift recovery by enhancing their resilience to recover and rebuild,” Lopez said.
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