The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved on second reading the proposed P401-billion Bayanihan to Arise as One Act or the Bayanihan 3, which is set to provide financial assistance to all Filipinos impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, promote capacity-building programs, and revive gravely-affected sectors like agriculture and micro-small-medium enterprises (MSMEs).
Voting through viva voce, lawmakers approved the House Bill 9411, which authored by 293 representatives.
The P401-billion Bayanihan 3, which is expected to be approved on final reading next week, is lower than the technical working group earlier-approved P405.5 billion.
House Committee on Economic Affairs Chairperson Sharon Garin said the current House version is a “convergence of contributions” from all members to ensure that no Filipino and no sector gets left behind.
Garin underscored the three key economic interventions inscribed in the bill, namely kalinga (support), kabuhayan (livelihood), and kalusugan (health).
The bill inlcudes a P2,000 ayuda for all Filipinos which shall be disbursed in two tranches.
The bill provides the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) a total of P30 billion for the implementation of Emergency Assistance to Affected Households (AICS) with P24 billion to be disbursed in the next two phases.
To protect MSMEs, a total of P20 billion shall be earmarked for small business wage subsidies (SBWS) and disbursed in three phases.
The bill also strengthens Republic Act 11037 otherwise known as Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act of 2017 and Republic Act 11148 or Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act P5 billion.
Standby funds amounting to P30 billion shall also be earmarked for assistance to the agri-fishery sector which shall be disbursed in two phases. Further, medical assistance to indigents and free swab tests for seafarers and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have been incorporated in the bill.
The bill also highlights the support to basic education which will be used for the procurement of laptops for teachers, mobile and internet allowance for Department of Education (DepEd) personnel, distance learning modalities (online and broadcast platforms), radio-based instruction infrastructure (Last Mile Schools), and the provision of N95 masks for DepEd employees and teachers.
Revenue sources of bill allows provisional advances by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to the national government not exceeding 10% of the average income of the National Government for FYs 2018 to 2020.
Also, Section 35 of the measure allows the Secretary of Finance to increase by 25 percent the minimum required dividend remittances from government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) from the current 50 percent set by Republic Act No. 7656 while Section 36 allows the President to authorize the withdrawal of capital from overcapitalized GOCCs, subject to conditions of continued viability.
Universal basic income
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Joey Sarte Salceda, meanwhile, defended the need for universal basic income.
“We are introducing, for the first time in Philippine policy if enacted, the concept of Universal Basic Income. P1,000 per Filipino, one assured tranche, and one in standby. No ifs or buts. It avoids politicization. The rich can freely return it if they want; after all, there are very few rich people in this country. Almost everybody is hurting,” Salceda added, one of sponsors of the bill.
Salceda recalled that he first proposed the idea in lieu of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) in a lengthy memorandum to the President and to economic managers in May 2020.
“I recommended it because we did not have the database. So, it would have been easier to just list everyone we gave money to, instead of finding a list of people to give money to. It would have been fair, simple, and quick,” Salceda said.
Salceda added that the measure would also be fairer to the poor “who tend to have bigger households. Assistance on a per-person basis is more equitable, because people eat on a per-person basis. It really is that basic.”
Earlier this year, Salceda also warned that the best way to ensure that the economy recovers quickly is “to protect household income as more than 70% of the Philippine economy is consumption-based.”
“As much as I would like to make us a more investment driven economy, for now, consumption creates Filipino jobs. So, we need to pump-prime consumption. It allows people to create jobs in resilient and essential sectors, instead of us having to select winners and losers, and potentially feed dead horses,” Salceda said.
According to Salceda, the Bayanihan 3 expected to hurdle House before sine die adjournment on June 2.
“We are prioritizing passing this measure before pre-SONA adjournment. Our hope is that during or in the days after the State of the Nation Address, we have already provided help to the people,” Salceda said.
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