(Eagle News)–The House of Representatives on Tuesday, March 24, adopted the Senate version of the bill giving President Rodrigo Duterte additional powers to address the coronavirus disease 2019 emergency.
With the adoption of the Bayanihan We Heal As One Act, or Senate Bill No. 1413, the Senate and the House of Representatives will no longer have to convene into a bicameral conference to thresh out differences in the versions passed by each chamber of Congress.
Under the Senate bill, President Duterte is given the necessary powers “for a limited period and subject to restrictions, to exercise powers necessary and proper to carry out” the declared national emergency.
These include the streamlining of the accreditation of testing kits, the provision of a P5000 to P8000 monthly in financial aid to low-income households for two months, the grant of P100,000 to health workers–both in public and private hospitals–who may have contracted COVID-19 in the line of duty, and measures to prevent hoarding.
When the public interest so requires, the President may also direct the operation of any privately-owned hospitals and medical and health facilities including passenger vessels and, other establishments, to house health workers, serve as quarantine areas, quarantine centers, medical relief and aid distribution locations, or other temporary medical facilities; and public transportation to ferry health, emergency, and frontline personnel and other persons.
According Senator Pia Cayetano, vice chair of the Senate committee on finance,the President will be given three months of special authority to reprogram, reallocate at realign the national budget as a response to the COVID-19 crisis.
According to Cayetano, there is no provision on the temporary takeover of private businesses if needed.
The Philippines has so far recorded 501 COVID-19 cases. With a report from Meanne Corvera
