Davao City gov’t buildings receive Safety Seal

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has presented four Davao City Government buildings—the Sangguniang Panlungsod, the Davao City Hall, the City Hall Annex, and the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO)—with ‘Safety Seals’ on Wednesday, June 7, 2022.

The Safety Seal is a national certification administered by the DILG in an effort to maintain the minimum public health standards as the country settles into the new normal. The awarding of the Safety Seal signifies the full compliance of the City Government of Davao to the national standards of safety and public health, mandated by the DILG Memorandum Number 2021-053 to combat the Covid-19 pandemic amid the loosening of public health restrictions.

The awarding body—made up of representatives from the DILG, the Bureau of Fire Protection, the Department of Health, the Department of Tourism and the Philippine National Police—inspected the Sangguniang Panlungsod, the City Hall, the City Hall Annex, and the CSWDO buildings’ compliance with the minimum public health standards mandated by the Department of Health and the World Health Organization on June 1, June 2, and June 9, 2022. The body found the government buildings to be in full compliance with the mandated health protocols.

The certificates were presented by the awarding body, led by DILG Davao City Director Vicky P. Sarcena, Davao City Fire District Office Head Superintendent Anastacio M. Jusay, Jr., and Davao City Police Office Representative Police Lt. Col. Jed Clamor. This is the second Safety Seal for the City Hall building, which received its first certificate on November 10, 2021.

In her speech, Sarcena commended the city government for upholding the mandated public health protocols and called the Safety Seal the “physical manifestation of an establishment’s commitment to keep their clients safe.”  Sarcena thanked the local government for its full compliance with health protocols.

She said, “Dako among pasalamat sa (We are very grateful to the) City Government of Davao sa (for the) response with the mandate of our former President PRRD in strengthening our mechanism aron atong malikayan ang Covid-19 (so we can prevent more cases of Covid-19).

According to City Mayor’s Office Internal Audit Service Division officer-in-charge Atty. Sarah Phoebe L. Paclibar, who accepted the Safety Seal for the City Hall building, the certificate is “a huge achievement to the city government because it is an acknowledgment that we are implementing the minimum public health protocols and that we are doing our best to be a role model to our fellow Dabawenyos, if not to the whole country, in combating Covid-19.”

Paclibar added that the City Government of Davao intends to apply for Safety Seals for other local government buildings such as the Davao City Investment Promotion Center (DCIPC) and the Davao City Public Safety and Security Command Center (PSSCC) in August. In addition, as the document is valid for six months, the city will pursue the renewal of the seal for all buildings already awarded.

Vice Mayor Jay Melchor Quitain, Jr. —who accepted the Safety Seal for the Sangguniang Panlungsod—congratulated all government employees for receiving the Safety Seals. According to him, the certificates show how the City Government of Davao is on top of the Covid-19 pandemic and is proof of the collective effort of all employees in the offices of these government buildings to provide a safe environment for their clients.

In a statement, Mayor Sebastian Duterte said that the city government “has been inspecting its offices to ensure the observance of health protocols” and will continue to do so as Davao City settles into the dynamics of the new normal.  CIO