House starts plenary deliberations on Bayanihan 3

The House of Representatives on Monday started the  plenary deliberations on the proposed Bayanihan 3, which seeks to help Filipinos recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

In her sponsorship speech, AAMBIS-OWA party-list Representative Sharon Garin said 98% of the chamber or 293 lawmakers have signed as authors of the consolidated version of the proposed Bayanihan to Arise as One Act that was spearheaded by Speaker Lord Allan Velasco.

"It is such a privilege to present to you what we have come up of Bayanihan 3. We have the main feature of Bayanihan 3... we give P1,000 to each and every Filipino, ayuda for all and that is what we call Kalinga," Garin said.

"Following that, we have Kabuhayan which is livelihood and we are providing P8 billion for wage subsidies, TUPAD or any assistance of DOLE at P10 billion," she added.

She said P12 billion was allotted for households affected by COVID-19 as well as P400 million worth of assistance for overseas Filipino workers and seafarers.

Garin appealed to her colleagues in the chamber for the swift passage of the measure.

Marikina City Representative Stella Quimbo, one of the key proponents of the bill, stressed that the measure is designed to provide relief to the critically impacted and displaced.

She said that under the measure, a Bayanihan Council will be created to ensure that the provisions are being properly implemented.

"Through this Council we will guarantee that fund utilization is efficient and leakages are minimized in providing aide to our countrymen. Marami tayong natutunan sa SAP implementation," Quimbo said in her speech.

"The primary goal is to ensure that our learnings from the implementation of the previous stimulus laws are put to good use," she added.

Constitutionality issue

Albay Representative and ways and means committee chairperson Joey Salceda said the "Bayanihan 3 already meets the constitutional requirement that the proposal be supported by funds to be raised by revenue proposed in the same bill."

"The question of presentation of certification of availability of funds is superfluous because the proposal meets the condition that a special appropriations bill be supported by funds to be raised by a corresponding revenue proposed therein," Salceda said in his sponsorship speech.

To recall, the bill was approved at the House committee on appropriations without a certification of available funds from the Bureau of Treasury, which is required as stated in the 1987 Constitution:  "A special appropriations bill shall specify the purpose for which it is intended, and shall be supported by funds actually available as certified by the National Treasurer, or to be raised by a corresponding revenue proposed therein."

Salceda believes that the Bayanihan 3 is more "fiscally responsible" compared to previous supplemental funding measures.

"The proposal works harder to meet the fiscal costs of new spending one-to-one that the 2006 supplemental appropriations, as it at the very least attempts to be as close to deficit-neutral as possible,” he said.—AOL, GMA News