The Philippine Organizations of Wellness Establishments and Resources (POWER) Inc., a confederation of professionals and business groups and individuals directly and indirectly engaged in the promotion and development of health and wellness and wellness tourism in the Philippines, yesterday sought a dialogue with Health Secretary Enrique T. Ona to discuss Department of Health (DoH) Administrative Order 2010-0034.
POWER President Cynthia Carrion sought the dialogue to avoid future problems and prevent expected unemployment once the order is fully implemented by January 2015.
The order that POWER strongly opposed requires that all masseurs in the Philippines should undergo 60 hours of training prior to issuance of a certificate of registration and license to be a practicing masseur.
Carrion said that the directive contradicts President Aquino’s call for job creation and employment.
The former Undersecretary of Tourism and Development said that the order requiring masseurs to undergo 60 hours of extensive training module will result in loss of jobs aside from the fact that most masseurs cannot afford the training cost of P8,000 to P11,000 per masseur.
She explained that wellness tourism was launched in the Philippines purposely to generate employment to those on the grassroots level who are mostly not properly educated but has the skill of touch and dedication to service to all customers.
According to POWER, the approximate number of masseurs nationwide has reached 100,000 and if the regulation will be fully implemented by January, many of them will lose their jobs simply because they cannot afford the expensive fees.
“The fees are very high and the training modules are not even related or important for practicing masseur,” Carrion said.
source: http://www.tempo.com.ph / Tempo / Home> News Roundup / May 25th, 2015
