A lawmaker said Congress must swiftly pass the proposed Bayanihan to Arise As One Act or the Bayanihan 3 in order to provide relief to Filipinos, especially the working class and the most vulnerable.
Marikina City Representative Stella Quimbo made the call after the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that the unemployment rate for February 2021 rose to 8.8 percent.
Quimbo said high unemployment has persisted throughout the pandemic, noting that the reimposed enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) puts workers at even greater risk and takes away the pay of the 5.25 million no work, no pay workers in affected areas.
“For many Filipino families who have already been reeling financially from the past year, it will only be that much harder to put food on the table. In this light, we urgently need the government to step in with greater and better COVID response and recovery measures,” the lady legislator said.
“For the ECQ to be effective, households must be assured that they can meet their basic needs while under quarantine.”
The lawmaker stressed for the ECQ to be effective, households must be assured that they can meet their basic needs while under quarantine.
“Kaya kailangan ng ayuda (That’s why cash assistance is needed). Wage subsidies are also needed to help businesses cover costs and prevent further job loss,” she said.
The proposal, Quimbo said, provides P52 billion to help subsidize wages of workers in small businesses, in addition to another P30 billion for assistance to the unemployed, and P108 billion for additional social amelioration.
She said subsidies for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) testing in the workplace or for public transport operators would help ensure that areas frequented by workers are maintaining minimum health standards, and that the risk of transmission is minimized for those who cannot work from home.
“Assistance is needed for critically impacted businesses so they can migrate to online platforms, retool their workers, and thus, survive the pandemic.”
Quimbo added that assistance is likewise needed for critically impacted businesses so they can migrate to online platforms, retool their workers, and thus, survive the pandemic.
“Relative to all the losses we’ve sustained, and with more losses still forthcoming, the COVID fiscal response allocated thus far is clearly insufficient. The government needs to spend to provide immediate relief to Filipinos. Ang kailangan po ngayon ay (What we need now is) Bayanihan 3,” she concluded.