The House of Representatives recently approved on third and final reading a measure that would provide for the country’s response and recovery interventions for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
With 242 affirmative votes, six negative votes, and no abstention, the chamber approved House Bill 6953 or the proposed Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2), which is one of the legislative priorities, President Rodrigo Duterte enumerated in his fifth State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) on July 27.
The bill proposes a P162-billion standby fund to support response measures to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Congress crafted Bayanihan 2 not just a reaction to the ravages of COVID-19.”
In a speech, Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said Congress crafted Bayanihan 2 not just a reaction to the ravages of COVID-19, but also as a response to the bigger challenge of “remaking our society and spreading the wealth” out to other regions.
“We want Bayanihan 2 to be a living piece of legislation that will empower our industries and revitalize sectors of society that have been decimated by the virus or were otherwise forgotten or neglected in the past,” Cayetano added.
“Agriculture, tourism and manufacturing will form the spear-tip of the country’s recovery effort.”
The veteran legislator said the three main sectors, namely, agriculture, tourism, and manufacturing will form the “spear-tip” of the country’s recovery effort.
Under the measure, P10 billion shall be appropriated as a subsidy to the National Health Insurance Program of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to be used solely to cover COVID-19 expanded testing and COVID-19 confinements.
A total of P10.5 billion shall be allocated to the Department of Health for continuous employment of emergency human resources for health, risk allowances for both public and private health care workers (HCWs), free life insurance for all HCWs, HCW compensation for death and critical illness, and augmentation for hospital operations.
The measure also provides for the allocation of P20 billion for the implementation of appropriate cash-for-work programs for displaced workers amid the pandemic.
A total of P12 billion shall be used to finance the programs of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, including the emergency subsidy for areas placed on hard lockdown and the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program, among others.
A total of P51 billion will be given to government financial institutions (GFIs) as capital infusion for the grant of low-interest loans to micro, small and medium enterprises and other critically-impacted businesses.
A total of P3 billion shall be appropriated for the procurement of face masks, personal protective equipment (PPE) sets, shoe covers and face shields to be provided to all barangay health workers, barangay officials, and other indigents who need protection to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Meanwhile, P4 billion shall be used to finance the construction of temporary medical isolation and quarantine facilities, field hospitals, dormitories for frontliners, and for the expansion of government hospital capacity all over the country.
Also included in the funding are various forms of financial assistance for affected sectors: P20 billion for low-interest credit for the agriculture sector; P10 billion for programs for the transportation sector; and P10 billion for tourism development programs.
For education, P3 billion shall be provided for smart, ICT-ready education facilities in state universities and colleges; P4 billion to assist the Department of Education to prepare classrooms for digital education; P600 million worth of subsidies for qualified students in private tertiary education institutions; P300 million worth of subsidies for personnel of private tertiary education institutions and part-time personnel of state universities and colleges; and P1 billion worth of additional scholarship funds for Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.
Other funding provisions include P1.5 billion worth of assistance for local government units, P180 million to finance athletes whose allowance were reduced due to the pandemic, and P820 million for the programs of the Department of Foreign Affairs for migrant workers.