Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 20) — More government savings can now be tapped for the country’s COVID-19 response, President Rodrigo Duterte revealed in his fourth weekly report to Congress on his special powers to address the ongoing pandemic.
From just ₱189.82 billion, pooled savings from discontinued programs, activities and projects and abandoned special purpose funds have now increased to ₱246.28 billion.
Of this amount, Duterte said ₱148.93 billion has been released to different national government agencies for their COVID-19 response. Duterte’s report, however, did not include a breakdown of this release.
But Duterte did mention in his previous report that ₱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.
Duterte said in his latest report that ₱5.69 billion of additional allotments and ₱7.79 billion in cash allocations have been released which can be charged against the existing programs, activities and projects of national government agencies including the Health, Social Welfare, Interior, Science and Technology, Labor, Defense and Justice Departments.
The Education Department, meanwhile, has identified ₱2.82 billion from its budget for COVID-19 response, while the Trade Department’s Small Business Corporation has reallocated ₱500 million for this purpose.
The Energy Department has also transferred a total of ₱159.3 million to provide funding for local governments’ responses to COVID-19.
Various government agencies and corporations have also remitted a total of around ₱21.41 billion from their respective budgets for COVID-19 response measures.
Likewise, Duterte said the Land Bank of the Philippines has remitted to the Bureau of Treasury cash balances from various government agencies amounting to ₱8.8 billion.
The President also mentioned that the Bureau of Treasury has certified ₱100.22 billion from excess revenues from dividends of government corporations to fund the government’s COVID-19 response.
Duterte also said that the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation has submitted its inventory of real properties which may be considered for COVID-19 projects, programs and activities.
It is the second government arm to do so, following the Philippine Guarantee Corporation.
Under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, Duterte is allowed to realign savings from the executive branch to fund the government’s COVID-19 response.
The same law also requires him to submit to Congress a weekly report on how he has utilized his special powers to address the crisis.
