House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco’s camp said 162 solons support the Bayanihan 3 proposal of the House representative from Marinduque.
As of this posting, a total of 162 members of the supermajority, minority and independent blocs in the lower chamber of Congress said they would support House Bill 8628 or the Bayanihan to Arise As One Act.
“The sectors that will benefit from the interventions provided for in the bill are well-targeted, which provides an assurance that the proposed funds won’t go to waste and it will surely help the economy recover from COVID-19,” Deputy Speaker Kristine Singson-Meehan said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker Bernadette Herrera-Dy said the third Bayanihan bill gives comprehensive and integrated measures for the country’s faster economic recovery.
The proposed P420-billion appropriation under Bayanihan 3 were as follows:
- P52 billion for subsidies to small business for wages and other worker-related expenses;
- P100 billion for the capacity-building of businesses in critically impacted sectors;
- P108 billion for additional social amelioration to impacted households through programs of the Department of Social Welfare and Development;
- P70 billion for the provision of assistance and capacity-building to farmers, livestock producers and fishermen;
- P30 billion for the implementation of unemployment assistance and cash-for-work programs under the Department of Labor and Employment;
162 solons support Velasco’s Bayanihan 3 proposal
- P30 billion for internet allowances to primary, secondary and tertiary students and teachers in public and private educational institutions;
- P5 billion to the Department of Public Works and Highways for the rehabilitation of typhoon-affected areas, including the repair, reconstruction and/or construction of flood control works, roads, bridges, public buildings and other damaged public works, to be distributed proportionately among provinces and cities affected;
- P25 billion to the Department of Health for the procurement of COVID-19 medication and vaccines, and to finance logistics, information awareness campaigns, and other related operational expenses.
Meanwhile, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said Monday that President Duterte is not keen on approving the Bayanihan 3, noting that the P4.5-trillion 2021 national budget and the P165-billion Bayanihan to Recover as One (Bayanihan 2) law are enough to address the effects of the pandemic.
“Well, we appreciate the policy initiatives of Speaker Velasco. Pero ang consistent position po natin diyan ay mayroon po tayong sapat na fiscal stimulus ngayon sa ating annual budget at ipinapatupad pa po natin iyong Bayanihan 2,” said Roque.