'Mpox threat calls for strict regulation'

TWO partylist lawmakers have called on the government to inspect health spas and massage parlors and check them if they have health permits and clearances amid the discovery of the most recent monkeypox (mpox) case in the country.

Based on contact-tracing data, the 10th mpox case entered a health spa and a dermatology clinic in Quezon City.

Initial investigation shows that the spa had no valid permits and clearances and had been operating on an expired business permit, according to City Mayor Joy Belmonte.

In a statement, Barangay Health and Wellness Partylist Rep. Angelica Co believes that there was a “failure of regulation” on the part of the city government due to the expired licenses, but she believes that Quezon City will recover from that failure and other Metro Manila local government units can learn from.

She also called for a “systematic inspection” of all spas in Metro Manila and check the permits and clearances of spas in their jurisdictions.

For Senior Citizens Partylist Rep. Rodolfo Ordañes, the mpox case exposed gaping holes in the local business regulation that can be addressed, and has called on the city government to investigate who “dropped the ball” in the village and the city levels.

He also called on the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) to recommend to Congress the needed updates to the Local Government Code (LGC) of 1991 and the Ease of Doing Business Act.

“I also see the need for the DILG and ARTA to prioritize LGC reforms that can be done through a new law and a new joint memorandum circular,” Ordañes said.

He also pushed for a “new system” that would let city mayors and councils deputize professionals, professional organizations, hospitals, and civil society foundations to help LGUs enforce laws, ordinances, and regulations on business permits, health clearances, sanitation permits, and safety clearances.

“The severe lack of inspector personnel can be solved by accrediting deputies and by modernizing registration systems using information and communications technology. DILG and ARTA can set deputation, accreditation, and inspection standards,” Ordañes said.