Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 31) — The government can tap over ₱800 billion to fund its response to the COVID-19 crisis, President Rodrigo Duterte said in his first weekly report to Congress on his additional powers.
The government can use at least ₱882.19-billion to fund its fight against COVID-19 from dividends, unreleased appropriations, excess and unauthorized balances, cash, and cash equivalents.
The bulk of the possible funding for COVID-19 response comes from unreleased appropriations under special purpose funds, which the Budget Department estimates to be around P372.19 billion.
Part of this is ₱145.717-billion worth of unreleased resources to support government corporations, ₱28.414-billion from special shares of local governments from national taxes, and ₱27.311-billion from the local government support fund.
Also part of the unreleased funds which the government is eyeing is ₱7 billion from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, nearly ₱1.05 billion from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, ₱365 million from the special shares of local governments from Fire Code fees, and ₱50-million from the barangay officials death benefits fund.
None of these special purpose funds have been used yet except for the Health Department’s quick response fund amounting to ₱500 million which has been charged against the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management fund.
The Finance Department and the Bureau of Treasury borrowed ₱300 billion from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, which the national government can convert into cash as long as it can repay it within six months.
The Treasury has also identified over ₱100 billion from excess and unauthorized balances of government corporations which can be used for the government’s COVID-19 response.
Up to ₱100 billion from cash and cash equivalents from national government agencies and government corporations may also be used for COVID-19 response, according to Duterte’s report.
Dividends from the Philippine Ports Authority, Manila International Airport Authority and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines remitted in advance by the Transportation Department could also be used to address the COVID-19 crisis.
The Budget Department has also pushed the Social Welfare, Health and Labor Departments to use their funding totalling to ₱159.802 billion to aid those affected by COVID-19 and the enhanced community quarantine in place in Luzon and other areas of the country.
Apart from these, Duterte can also halt programs, projects and activities under the executive branch and rechannel money for these towards COVID-19 response.
He has yet to do this, following the advice to use up all existing allotments for COVID-19 response pending the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases’ submission of projects, programs and activities that would need additional funding.
No COVID-19 allowance yet
Part of the government’s COVID-19 response is assistance to the poor, including those who have been put out of work because of the quarantine.
Among the key provisions of the Bayanihan to Heal as One law, which gave Duterte special powers, is the provision of a ₱5,000 to ₱8,000 monthly allowance for two months to indigent families.
Three weeks into the four-week enhanced community quarantine and a week after the law took effect, the government is still finalizing the details of this program.
The Labor Department, however, has distributed ₱5,000 to 8,641 beneficiaries of its COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program, while 51,293 have benefitted from its emergency employment program.
So far, the Labor Department has used ₱95.4 million for these assistance programs.
The Social Welfare Department has also distributed 78,651 food packs to local governments in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Western Visayas and Zamboanga Peninsula on top of other financial and non-food aid.
Duterte announced in a televised address Monday night that the government has earmarked ₱200 billion worth of aid for low-income households, farmers, and fisherfolk, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The country now has 2,084 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with the death toll climbing to 88, while the total number of recoveries is now at 49.
