Cabinet members welcome congressional approval of proposed Bayanihan 2

Some Cabinet members on Tuesday welcomed Congress' approval of the proposed Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, which seeks to sustain the government's COVID-19 response and aid sectors crippled by the pandemic.  

Worth P165.5 billion, the relief package is now awaiting the signature of President Rodrigo Duterte. 

“The swift action of Congress is a testament to the whole-of-nation approach needed to fight COVID-19. The Bayanihan to Recover As One Act will greatly benefit the nation, especially sectors severely affected by this health crisis,” said National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 chairman and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana as he thanked lawmakers for their support to the bill. 

NTF chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. said the proposed measure is critical to ramp up the implementation of the second phase of the government’s National Action Plan, which is focused on creating a balance between ensuring the people’s health and safety, while slowly reviving livelihood and the nation’s economy.

Congress has allotted P13.5 billion for health-related responses, including the payment of P10,000 special risk allowance to both public and private medical frontliners, P3 billion for the procurement of face masks, face shields and personal protective equipment, and P4.5 billion for the construction of temporary medical isolation and quarantine facilities.

Lawmakers also set aside P10 billion for COVID-19 testing, and procurement of medication and vaccines. 

“Congress’ approval of the Bayanihan to Recover As One Act will help us further ramp up our testing capacity nationwide. The first Bayanihan law allowed us to strengthen our testing efforts, with the Philippines now at the top in conducting the most number of COVID-19 tests compared to our Southeast Asian neighbors,” said NTF deputy chief implementer Vince Dizon. 

More than two million individuals have already been tested for COVID-19 as of August 22, according to government data. The government aims to test a total of 10 million Filipinos by June 2021. 

The bill also provides soft loans to affected sectors and cash subsidy ranging from P5,000 to P8,000 to low-income households in areas under granular lockdown and those with recently returned overseas Filipino workers, as well as to displaced workers. —KG, GMA News