Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 3) — President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to submit to Congress his sixth report on the special powers granted to him by Congress to address the COVID-19 crisis.
The expected updates from Duterte in his latest report include cash aid for the poor, one of the key provisions of the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, which gave the president special budget powers to counter the pandemic.
In his last report, Duterte bared that only 6.27 million of the 18 million target families have received cash aid from the government, leaving some 65 percent of the target beneficiaries still without financial relief more than a month since the enactment of the law.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development, however, said that as of Saturday, around 11.6 million families have already received cash aid, or 64.5 percent of the target beneficiaries.
Aside from cash aid for the poor, Senator Joel Villanueva is also expecting updates on aid for workers, including tricycle drivers and overseas Filipino workers.
Senator Nancy Binay, meanwhile, wants the executive branch to submit a national plan on its response to COVID-19, its mitigation of the disease, and the transition to what it calls as the “new normal.”
Also expected from Duterte’s sixth report are updates on the government’s spending for its response to the COVID-19 crisis.
In his fifth report, Duterte revealed that the government has released some ₱245 billion in savings from canceled programs and special purpose funds for its COVID-19 response, the bulk of which — around ₱196 billion — went to the DSWD.
After the DSWD, local government units received the next biggest chunk of government of the realigned funds, receiving a total of ₱36.91 billion from the so-called Bayanihan Grant.
The Department of Agriculture, meanwhile, obtained the third-largest cash allocation, with ₱8.5 billion.
The Department of Health also received a ₱1.8-billion cash allocation from the pooled savings, while the Department of Labor and Employment got ₱1.5 billion from the same funding source.
The Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines also received an additional cash allocation of ₱93.1 million and ₱150.7 million, respectively.
The Bayanihan to Heal as One Act allows Duterte to reshuffle funding within the executive department towards the government’s efforts against the disease.
The same law also requires the president to submit to Congress a weekly report on how he has so far utilized these powers and the government’s response to the pandemic.
CNN Philippines’ Xave Gregorio contributed to this report.
