Aesthetic group seeks gov’t regulation

A group of professional aestheticians is seeking the help of the Marcos administration, particularly government agencies that would help them regulate their multi-billion industry and help them to undertake their businesses safely and legally.

"The reason why we formed our group, the Professional Aestheticians Association of the Philippines or PAAP, is to make sure that we standardize and professionalize our aestheticians further all over the country. These aestheticians are not just facialists, which include lush artists, cosmetic tattoo artists or those who do permanent make-ups or those that perform non-surgical and non-invasive procedures," said Wenie Argonza, president of PAAP in an interview during the sidelines of PAAP induction of officers on Thursday at the Sequoia Hotel in Quezon City.

She said the non-medical aesthetics are actually in the "gray area" and their group doesn't know where their industry belongs.

"It is a challenge for us since we don't know where we belong, meaning, we don't know what services we can offer our customers. We also do not know what government agency is regulating or even protecting our industry. These are the things that we are trying to focus on right now," she said.

Umbrella organization

In its aim to be a pertinent organization or as an umbrella organization of their industry, Argonza said they are now in the process of coordinating with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority for a probable partnership or to act as its certifier aside from being its regulatory body.

"We hope that we can also lobby a bill to our lawmakers for them to formulate a law when it comes to non-medical aesthetics," she stressed.

Argonza said currently, the Department of Health only accredits hospital clinics that offer laboratory and medical services, but anything regarding relaxation and beauty enhancement, where their group belongs, is left unchecked by the DoH.

"That is what we also wanted to achieve. If we become successful in our aim, then we can help augment the economy as well," she added.

Targeting freelancers

Argonza said that one of their group's priorities is to accredit freelance aestheticians who offer home services because these are the practitioners who are hard to find or regulate, and who may pose risks to clients.

"We want to tap that market so that the safety of clients will be put on the priority list. Accidents happen if they are doing their services on their own and incorrectly. There are even fly-by-night centers and practitioners. So, if those persist, it will affect the entire aesthetic community which we do not want to happen," she said.

Argonza said the aesthetic industry right now is a lucrative business, amounting to more than billions of pesos.

"Even the Department of Tourism is looking into this industry, which just goes to show how big it is," she said.

She added that the PAAP would want to tap training centers, regulated by TESDA, to equip aestheticians with guidelines that they can follow, particularly standardized training," according to Argonza.

Boosting medical tourism

Earlier this year, DoT Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco reaffirmed its support for the Marcos administration's goal to boost the medical tourism industry in the country through collaborations with industry stakeholders in aesthetics, aging and wellness, emphasizing that the industry seen as a potential "strong growth center" for the Philippines.

Citing global data, the tourism chief said that in 2022, medical tourism's market size was around $115 billion, noting that the industry is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 32.51 percent from 2022 to 2023.

"We, at the Department of Tourism, are committed to supporting medical tourism with the help of our stakeholders in nurturing a healthy environment for our healthcare professionals and a welcoming environment for medical tourism clients," she added, noting that under the Marcos administration, the intention is to ensure that the country's competitiveness must elevate to position the Philippines as one of the preferred tourism destinations as far as medical aesthetics and wellness is concerned.

"As we move forward from the pandemic, we are conscious of the necessity of focusing on health and wellness and providing globally competitive healthcare. We have identified important cornerstones that would ensure that the industry flourishes under this administration. This includes a robust multi-sectoral industry roadmap, strong policy backbone, a holistic product to be offered by the country, a distinct brand that is based on the Filipino brand of care," she added.

Currently, the Philippines occupies the 24th spot of  46 top medical tourism destinations globally. However, the tourism chief emphasized that the country "deserves a much higher place in the world," citing the country's quality and expertise of healthcare professionals, with a distinct Filipino brand of care that is renowned all over the world as its core.

Under the approved National Tourism Development Plan, medical tourism has also been identified by the DoT as a priority in pursuit of diversifying its tourism portfolio, where the tourism chief has earlier underscored the potential of medical tourism in ensuring the growth of the Philippine tourism industry.