Bayanihan 2 expected to reach PRRD’s desk by Tuesday

President Rodrigo R. Duterte (File photo via PNA)

MANILA – The proposed Bayanihan to Recover as One Act or Bayanihan 2 is expected to reach the desk of President Rodrigo Duterte by Tuesday.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque made this remark after the House of Representatives ratified the bicameral conference committee report on the Bayanihan 2 on Monday. The Senate ratified it on August 20.

The ratification will pave the way for the submission of the final version of the bill to the President.

“I believe the earliest that it can reach the desk of the President will be tomorrow (Tuesday),” Roque said in a virtual Palace briefing.

Roque thanked the Congress for passing the legislation, saying it would be a great help in reviving the economy.

“Mataas po ang ating kumpiyansa na malaki ang maitutulong ng Bayanihan 2 sa muling pagbangon ng ating ekonomiya (We are very confident that the Bayanihan 2 will be a big help for the economy to recover),” he said.

He also expressed support for the PHP165.5-billion funding for Bayanihan 2, of which PHP140 billion represents regular appropriations, and PHP25.5 billion are standby funds.

“We will support any and all stimulus packages provided kaya po natin bayaran iyan (we can afford to pay for them),” he said.

Bayanihan 2 seeks to extend the validity of the special powers granted to the President by providing a stimulus fund to support the country’s response and recovery interventions for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

Senate Committee on Finance chairman Sonny Angara said support for the healthcare sector accounts for the biggest chunk in the soon to be enacted Bayanihan 2.

He said Bayanihan 2 was crafted to ensure continuity in the government’s response to the pandemic “so it was only natural for the health sector to receive a significant amount of funding”.

Under the Bayanihan 2, PHP40.5- billion will go to health-related programs, which includes PHP13.5 billion for the hiring of emergency human resources for health (HRH); augmentation for operations of DOH hospitals; special risk allowance health workers; free life insurance, accommodation, transportation, and meals for health workers; and compensation for health workers who contract Covid-19 or die while fighting the pandemic.

On top of the PHP100,000 cash to be given to those who contract severe Covid-19 and the PHP1-million cash aid for the family of those who died while fighting the disease, PHP15,000 will also be given to those who will have mild or moderate cases.

Angara said that a total of PHP3 billion is provided in Bayanihan 2 for the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as face masks, gowns, shoe covers, and face shields for distribution to health workers, barangay personnel, and other indigent persons.