Cong. Edgar Chatto pushes for prioritization of the tourism sector as guidelines for earmarked funding is being prepared.
Chatto reminded Tourism Sec. Berna Puyat and Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez on earlier discussions to consider tourism as a priority sector not only in the P10Billion but also in the P51Billion allocation of Bayanihan 2. The Bayanihan to Heal As One Law had considered tourism only under non-essential category.
The inclusion of informal tourism sector players not formally employed in the social protection programs of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), among others had been pushed.
Bayanihan 2 includes a provision of P3 Billion for Cash for Work programs under DOLE. This is in addition to P1 Billion provided for tourism infrastructure and P100 Million for training and subsidies for tour guides.
In the P39.47Billion infusion of capital to Government Financial Institutions, P5Billion goes to PhilGuarantee, P18.47Billion for Landbank, P6Billion for DBP, and P10Billion for SBCorp for MSMEs, cooperatives, hospitals, tourism industry, and OFWs affected by COVID-19.
Van operators with payable loans need the support through SBCorp specially that only 60-day grace period was approved by Central Bank and banks, not the 1 year proposal.
Bayanihan adopted a total of P165.52 billion funding for COVID response. Of this, P13.5Billion will be for health-related responses which comprise employment and additional human resource, hospital operations, special risk allowance for public and private health care workers, hazard pay, life insurance, and other benefits. P3Billion will be used to procure face masks, PPEs, shoe covers, P4.5Billion for the construction and maintenance of isolation facilities and P5Billiom for the hiring of contact tracers.
Social protection services such as assistance for displaced workers through DOLE are allocated P13Billion while P6Billion goes to Assistance for Individuals in Crisis Situations under DSWD.
Bayanihan 2 provides P24Billion for agriculture programs including agriculture cooperatives under the “Plant, Plant, Plant” Program which is comprised of food security strategies such as in rice resiliency, food markets, urban agriculture, and cash for work.
For education, P4Billion is allotted for digital education and digital infrastructure as well as printing and delivery of self-learning modules of DepEd.
The first district representative had also pushed for the inclusion of assistance to institutions of learning, with P300Million in subsidies and allowances for teachers, P600Million for subsidies and allowances for students and P1Billion in scholarships under TESDA.