Bohol first district Representative Edgar Chatto is shown in the photo summarizing before local media the different stimulus packages pushed by the House of Representatives.
The approved version of House Bill 6953 “Bayanihan to Recover As One Act,” approved on third reading on August 10, 2020, contains a more detailed allocation than the original House version.
Chatto, among co-authors of the bill with House Speaker Allan Peter Cayetano and Deputy Speaker LRay Villafuerte, actively joined discussions on how the government can respond better to the pandemic using limited resources before its approval on third reading last Monday.
The total proposed allocation of P162-billion will serve as an economic stimulus and will be allocated for health interventions. This includes P10-billion subsidies to the National Health Insurance Program for COVID-19 expanded testing and confinements. It also provides P10.5-billion for continuous employment of existing emergency Human Resource for Health (HRH) as well as additional emergency HRH hiring.
P3-billion is allotted for the procurement of personal protective equipment, including face masks, face shields, shoe covers for use by barangay health workers, barangay officials, and other indigent persons that need protection. Another P4-billion will finance the construction of temporary medical isolation facilities, field hospitals, frontline dormitories, and expansion of government hospital capacity all over the country.
The bill provides P51-billion for the infusion of capital to Government Financial Institutions. It also allocates P20-billion to provide direct cash or loan interest rate subsidies in the agriculture and fisheries sector and to finance the Plant, Plant, Plant Program that will ensure food security and continuous productivity in the agricultural sector, including accessibility through farm to market roads.
State universities and colleges (SUCs) are supported in the development of smart campuses through investments in ICT infrastructure and acquisition of learning management systems and other appropriate equipment to fully implement flexible learning modalities, including the provision of loan interest rate subsidies with a P3-billion assistance.
Among requirements Chatto pushed for is also included in the bill. It provides P600 million for subsidies and allowances qualified students of public and private Tertiary Education Institutions and P300 million for subsidies and allowances of affected teaching and non-teaching personnel, including part-time faculty, in private and public Tertiary Education Institutions including part-time faculty in SUCs.
Meanwhile, P4-billion will be used for the implementation of Digital Education, Information Technology (IT), Digital Infrastructures, Alternative Learning Modalities programs of the DepEd.
P20-billion will be used for the implementation of appropriate cash-for-work programs for displaced workers while P1-billion will be additional scholarship funds of TESDA under its Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP) and Special Training for Employment Program (STEP) for the retooling, retraining, and upskilling of displaced workers including returning OFWs, with provision of tool kits under the (STEP).
P10-billion will finance programs to assist the critically affected businesses in the transportation industry, including the provision of temporary livelihood for displaced workers.
Social services get P12-billion, for programs such as Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS), Emergency Subsidy to cater for areas which will be placed on hard lockdown, Sustainable Livelihood Program for informal sectors not being catered by DOLE, distribution of food and non-food items, livelihood assistance grants, supplemental feeding program for daycare children.
P10-billion is allocated for tourism infrastructure. Another P100-million will finance the training and subsidies for tourist guides as part of capacity building in preparation for new norms.
The bill also includes funding to assist LGUs, finance the allowances for National Athletes and Coaches whose allowances were reduced to 50% due to the pandemic and for the augmentation of the DFA-Office of the Migrant Workers Affairs 2020 Assistance-To-Nationals Fund for repatriation-related expenses, shipment of remains and cremains of Overseas Filipinos (OFs) who passed away due to COVID-19, medical assistance of OFs and other assistance that may be provided for OFs affected by the pandemic.
The allocations are under the House version which totals P162Billion. The senate has a P140B proposal.
Chatto explained that the conflicting provisions will still be subject to Bicameral Conference Committee and the report of the Bicam will be ratified by both chambers before the president signs and approves.