Amid rising unemployment, Quimbo urges NEDA to study, consider Bayanihan 3

Marikina City Representative Stella Quimbo on Wednesday urged the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) to study and consider a third Bayanihan law to help those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially amid the increase in the number of unemployed individuals.

At a House minority virtual presser, Quimbo said the measure proposing for a Bayanihan 3 aims to address the unemployment rate as well as the hunger incidence brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Quimbo, NEDA does not support the proposed measure.

"Pero nakakalungkot na hindi suportado ng NEDA, ang ating pambansang economic planner, ang panukalang Bayanihan 3," Quimbo said. "Una, hindi daw na take up ng LEDAC ang panukala kaya’t hindi ito priority."

Philippine Statistics Authority data shows that the number of unemployed Filipinos rose by 1.6 million in January this year, and that the unemployment rate was at 8.7%.

"Nanawagan ako sa NEDA na pag-aralan pa sana nila ang magiging epekto sa kahirapan ng pamilyang Pilipino kung ipagpapaliban ang Bayanihan 3," Quimbo said.

Along with Quimbo, Speaker Lord Allan Velasco has filed another measure proposing for a third Bayanihan law, which outlines P420 billion worth of interventions that aims to help in the country's economic recovery amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The measure is called Bayanihan to Rebuild as One bill.

Velasco had said the national government's initial capacity to respond to the health crisis was not enough in attaining a genuine economic recovery of the country.

For Bayan Muna party-list Representative Carlos Isagani Zarate, the Duterte administration should, at the very least, provide P10,000 cash assistance to assist those affected by the lockdowns.

"This cash subsidy proposal, along with other economic measures to help the Philippine economy recover and to strengthen our health care system, are contained in economic stimulus bills now pending with the House, including House Bill 7620 or an act providing for a people’s strategy for strengthening health, social protection, economic and local industrial development that we filed," Zarate said in a separate statement. —KBK, GMA News