P132.3B released so far for COVID-19 response —Duterte

The government has so far released P132.3 billion to address the threat of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the country, President Rodrigo Duterte told Congress on Monday.

This amount was sourced from the P189.823 billion worth of pooled savings, Duterte said in his third weekly report as mandated by the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act (Republic Act 11469).

Of the P132.3 billion, P100 billion went to the first tranche of the social amelioration program under the Department of Social Welfare and Development, while P1.5 billion was released for the Department of Labor and Employment’s cash aid to displaced workers.

A one-time financial assistance worth P30.82 billion was also released to boost the capacity of cities and municipalities in responding to the COVID-19 situation.

Additional allotments and cash allocations had also been released to various government agencies to cover their COVID-19 response activities, the report said.

Earlier, lawmakers said that there were around P275 billion in off-budget funds that could be used to help address the COVID-19 crisis on top of the funds from the 2020 General Appropriations Act that could also be tapped.

Duterte, however, said this amount was not enough, and he asked Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III to find more funds for the government's COVID-19 response.

The Bayanihan to Heal as One Act authorized the President to reprogram, reallocate and realign savings on appropriations in the 2020 national budget in the Executive department to fund measures including social amelioration for affected communities and recovery of areas, sectors and industries severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The President was also empowered to halt appropriated programs, projects or activities under his department and the government-owned or controlled corporations (GOCCs). — Virgil Lopez/BM, GMA News