P165.5B Bayanihan 2 recovery bill awaiting President’s signature

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Lower House deputy speaker Luis Raymund Villafuerte, one of the principal authors of the Bayanihan 2 bill, during its approval on AUgust 20 | Photo from the House of Representatives
Lower House deputy speaker Luis Raymund Villafuerte, one of the principal authors of the Bayanihan 2 bill, during its approval on August 24 | Photo from the House of Representatives

The P165.5-billion Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, also known as Bayanihan 2 bill, has been ratified by both houses of Congress and will be transmitted to Malacañang for signing into law.

The House of Representatives (HOR) ratified the bicameral conference report of Bayanihan 2 on August 24 while the Senate approved the report last August 20.

READ: Senate oks Bayanihan 2 Act on 3rd reading; House OKs on third reading P162B Bayanihan 2 stimulus package

The bill, which aims to fast-track Philippine recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic fallout, provides for a P165.5 billion subsidy that consists of P140 billion in regular appropriations and P25.5 billion in standby funding.

Once passed into law, it will effectively extend the validity of the government’s COVID-19 programs and interventions under Republic Act No. 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act. The Bayanihan Act lapsed last June 5.

HOR deputy speaker Luis Raymund Villafuerte, co-author of the Bayanihan 2 bill, said that while Bayanihan 2 has limited funding, it would create a multiplier effect on the economy by providing supplementary grants for COVID-19 testing, cash-for-work programs, repatriation and reintegration of overseas Filipino workers, and subsidies to transportation, tourism, and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), as well as to the agriculture and the informal sectors.

Moreover, it would fund additional benefits for public and private health workers and teachers.

The P140 billion regular appropriations is broken down as follows:

  • P9.5 billion is allocated for assistance to the transportation industry
  • P3 billion for procurement of face masks, PPEs, shoe covers, and face shields
  • P4.5 billion for construction of temporary medical isolation and quarantine facilities, field hospitals, dormitories, and expansion of government hospital capacity
  • P4.5 billion for Office of Civil Defense or National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council isolation facilities and other requirements including billing of hotels, food and transportation used by COVID-19 patients
  • P13.5 billion for the Department of Health to employ emergency human resources for health
  • P820 million as fund for Overseas Filipinos under the Department of Foreign Affairs
  • P13 billion for the government’s cash-for-work program and other support programs for impacted sectors
  • P600 million as subsidies and allowances for students severely impacted by the pandemic
  • P300 million as subsidies and allowances to teaching and non-teaching personnel, and part-time faculty in state universities and colleges
  • P180 million as allowance for our national athletes and coaches
  • P39.472 billion as capital infusion to government banks
  • P24 billion to assist the agricultural sector and the Plant, Plant, Plant initiative under the Department of Agriculture
  • P4 billion for the tourism industry and another P100 million for tourist guides’ training and subsidies
  • P3 billion to develop smart campuses across the country
  • P1 billion for Technical Education and Skills Development Authority scholarships
  • P6 billion for Department of Social Welfare and Development’s assistance to individuals in crisis situations
  • P4 billion for the Department of Education’s implementation of digital education
  • P1.5 billion as assistance to local government units (LGU), with another P2 billion as subsidy for the payment of interest on loans secured by LGUs from government banks
  • P5 billion for the Department of the Interior and Local Government to hire more contact tracers
  • P2.5 million for the computer-based licensure of the Philippine Red Cross
  • P10 million for the research fund of the Health Technology Assessment Council, which was created under the Universal Health Care Law
  • P15 million for University of the Philippines-Diliman’s Computational Research Lab

As for the standby fund of P25.5 billion, P10 billion of this will be for COVID-19 testing and procurement of medication and vaccines; and P15.5 billion as additional capital infusion to government banks.

The bill instructs the Department of Trade and Industry to accelerate and promote online commerce and digitalization of MSMEs.

It also again orders that deadlines and timelines for the filing and submission of documents, payment of taxes, fees, and other charges be moved to ease the burden on individuals under community quarantine.

Exemption from import duties for personal protective equipment will be determined by the Bureau of Customs and Bureau of Internal Revenue, provided that local preference is ensured.