THE leadership of the House of Representatives will push for the third and final approval this week of the proposed Bayanihan to Arise as One Act (Bayanihan 3) bill and the economic Charter change resolution before Congress adjourns session on June 4.
House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez (Leyte) yesterday said he has received instructions from Speaker Lord Allan Velasco to prioritize the two measures both aimed at helping the national economy bounce back from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
“We resume session on Monday with a full plate of priority bills scheduled for plenary deliberation before we adjourn sine die this week,” Romualdez said.
With 298 co-authors led by Velasco himself, the Bayanihan 3 bill is expected to sail through plenary approval, while the Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 2 containing the proposal to amend supposed restrictive economic provisions of the 1987 constitutions could face some opposition.
Under the Bayanihan 3 bill, lawmakers want the government to distribute P2,000 basic cash assistance in two equal tranches to 108 million Filipinos, with additional financial aid to families with members who tested for COVID-19, wage earners who lost their jobs, and workers in the agriculture sector.
Proponents of the measure said the distribution of cash assistance to the public can help soften the impact of the pandemic and slow down the increasing hunger incidence due to a struggling economy.
RBH No. 2, meanwhile, will give Congress the power to amend Article XII (National Patrimony and Economy), Article XIV (Education, Science, and Technology), and Article XVI (General Provisions) of the Constitution by inserting the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law.”
Deputy Speaker Bienvenido Abante said the Bayanihan 3 bill will address problems in the short term as health authorities try to step up the vaccination program for COVID-19.
“While we are anxiously waiting for the full vaccine roll-out, the reality on the ground is too many businesses are failing. When businesses are closing shops, unemployment follows, and hunger is not far behind,” the House official said.
Abante clarified that Bayanihan 3 is a mere “temporary lifeline” while the government ramps up its vaccination and slowly try to revive economic activity.
Post-pandemic, the deputy speaker said the amendment to the economic provisions of the Charter comes in.
Congress says over a period of ten years, it expects annual average increase of P330.45 billion pesos in foreign direct investment and 660,897 new jobs.
“After we recover from the pandemic, and with our growing population, we will need jobs; if by opening up the economy we can generate close to 700,000 new jobs a year, then we should do it,” Abante added.
