Bayanihan 2 extension 'becoming dimmer' —Romualdez

It is now unlikely to have a special session to discuss the proposed extension of the Bayanihan 2, according to House Majority Leader Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Monday.

“Bayanihan 2, that was in agenda sa visit sa Malacanang, we were not able to take that up, there has been no clarity moving forward. It’s looking quite tight. The likelihood of extension is becoming dimmer at this point,” Romualdez told reporters.

“Deadline na yata nitong June 30, medyo gipit na tayo sa oras kaya lumalabo na ang pag-hold ng special session,” he added.

(The deadline is already on June 30. We lack time to hold a special session.)

Romualdez said it is also up to the Palace to call for a special session.

“Dapat may declaration or certification of its urgency so we have not had that yet… we still even have to get the concurrence of our counterparts in the Senate, mukhang maraming challenge,” he said.

Bayanihan 2 or the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act is set to expire on June 30.

House Bill 9538, which aims to extend the validity until December 31, was already passed on second reading at the House of Representatives.

There have been calls to extend the validity of the measure, with Albay Representative Joey Salceda saying that “without extension, provinces potentially face a situation of having their contact tracing and healthcare response capacities drastically reduced for at least 26 days during a period of COVID-19 case surges.”

Salceda also said if Bayanihan 2 expires, this will also mean P15.2 billion in various economic support programs will expire.

There is still a total of P18.4 billion unutilized funds under Bayanihan 2. If it will remain unused, the amount will be reverted to the Bureau of Treasury.—AOL, GMA News