#xave gregorio

[indizombie]

Duterte, in addresses to the public, has lamented how the government is cash-strapped in its battle against COVID-19 and has even floated the possibility of selling some government assets to generate more funding. He said that the Philippine Guarantee Corporation and the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation have both submitted inventories of its real properties which may be used for COVID-19 projects, programs and activities. Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado admitted that the government has already spent ₱352 billion of the ₱397 billion which can be realigned for the government’s COVID-19 response. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, however, said that the country’s needs are currently being financed through loans from the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank which already amount to ₱310 billion.

Xave Gregorio, 'Duterte to submit fifth report on special powers to Congress', CNN Philippines

[indizombie]

Cash aid for the poor is among the key provisions of the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, which granted President Rodrigo Duterte special powers. The Act allows Duterte to reshuffle funding within the executive department towards the government’s efforts against COVID-19. The same law also requires him to submit to Congress a weekly report on how he has so far utilized these powers and the government’s response to the pandemic. Senators Joel Villanueva and Francis Pangilinan are still calling on the government to fast track the distribution of cash aid, more than one month since Congress passed the measure. Only 24 percent of the 17.9 million intended cash aid beneficiaries have received financial assistance from the government. Pangilinan is also calling on Duterte to be more transparent in his report by showing the programs being implemented, their implementing agencies, the actual number of beneficiaries served, the target number of beneficiaries, the actual amount released for programs and the total budget for these. “The public needs to be reassured that we have enough resources to fund our fight against the pandemic and that these funds are being used for their intended purposes efficiently and swiftly,” he said.

Xave Gregorio, 'Duterte to submit fifth report on special powers to Congress', CNN Philippines

[indizombie]

Duterte has declared a total of ₱246.28 billion as savings which can be tapped for the government’s COVID-19 response. Of this amount, Duterte said ₱148.93 billion has been released to different national government agencies for their COVID-19 response. ₱100 billion was released to the Social Welfare Department, while ₱30.8 billion was given to fund the so-called Bayanihan Grant for municipalities and cities, and ₱1.5 billion went to the Labor Department.

Xave Gregorio, 'Duterte to submit fifth report on special powers to Congress', CNN Philippines