THE House of Representatives on Tuesday night approved on second reading the proposed third series of the Bayanihan law, with 297 members of the chamber signing on as co-authors backing the initiative of Speaker Lord Allan Velasco.
Deputy minority leader Stella Quimbo (Marikina City) and party-list Rep. Sharon Garin (AAMBIS-OWA) hailed the support of colleagues from across all political parties even as they underscored the urgency of passing the measure to address the economic contraction and increasing hunger incidence among Filipinos.
“Nandyan ang general na pagbagsak ng ekonomiya ng 9.5 percent, na halos P3.2 trillion ng kita ang nawala noong 2020; ang 4.5 million Filipinos na walang trabaho noong 2020; ang patuloy pa rin ng pag-quarantine ng mga pamilya, lalo na ang mga workers; ang pagsara ng negosyo. Ang ending: more Filipinos experienced bouts of hunger last year. Pumalo ito sa 30 percent noong third quarter ng 2020 (The economy shrunk by 9.5 percent which translates to a revenue loss of around P3.2 trillion. We have 4.5 million who can’t find jobs in 2020 while families remain in quarantine restrictions. These all boiled down to 30 percent of all Filipinos experiencing hunger during the third quarter of last year),” Quimbo said.
Ironically, the same problems the P401 billion Bayanihan to Arise as One Act (Bayanihan 3) is aiming to address are blocking its passage as both Congress and the government’s economic team have admitted rough going in identifying funding sources.
Garin noted that the Bayanihan 3 bill has not been included in the list of priority measures drawn by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).
“We have been meeting with the Executive consistently about Bayanihan 3. I think it’s not that they don’t want it, it’s just that we have to arrive with the right programs that we want implemented,” she said.
Quimbo urged the administration’s economic managers to provide a workable plan as to where funding for the measure can be drawn for the next 12 months.
“Naiintindihan namin ang tough balancing act na kelangan gawin. Sa isang banda, marami na ang gutom. Sa kabilang banda kelangan bantayan ang deficit ng bansa, na kung mapabayaan, ay baka ibaon tayo sa utang (We certainly understand the tough balancing act that the government has to do. On one hand we have the spreading hunger incidence, on the other, we have to keep a wary eye on the budget deficit. We have to keep it under control to avoid being saddled by more debts),” she said.
Just the same, she said the effort of Congress to craft the lifeline bill should not be allowed to go to waste.
“Nananawagan kami sa aming mga kapwa opisyal na tulungan kaming mga nasa kongreso na matulungan ang mga pinakadehado sa pandemyang ito. (We appeal to our fellow government workers to help Congress give assistance to those who were most adversely affected by the pandemic). Bayanihan 3 is what we need to help our economy avert losses and sustain long-term growth. We are confident that this measure will help overcome the ongoing crises by allocating government resources to those who need it the most,” she added.
The measure proposes to give all 108 million Filipinos P2,000 in cash as basic assistance divided in two tranches — without distinction as to income status or age.
Other than the basic cash assistance, the Bayanihan 3 bill likewise provides for additional financial aid to families with members who tested for COVID-19, wage earners who lost their jobs, workers in the agriculture sector, medical assistance for indigent patients.
Garin noted that government spending through Bayanihan 3 could likewise spur greater economic activities as people have to purchase supplies and necessities.
“When the government spends, the multiplier effect from that is really significant. For some way, it will ease the contraction,” she pointed out.
