Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) — Presidential spokesman Harry Roque is urging the Congress to provide monetary incentives for coronavirus-hit individuals who complete their 14-day facility-based quarantine.
Roque said in a briefing on Thursday that he asked House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano to consider including a provision, which allows the government to give financial aid to asymptomatic and mild COVID-19 cases who finished their quarantine, in the Bayanihan to Recover As One Act or Bayanihan 2.
Bayanihan 2 seeks to extend the validity of Bayanihan to Heal As One Act, which expired on June 25. The measure establishes ₱140-billion in standby fund for socioeconomic and health programs.
The lapsed statute gave Duterte special powers to address the coronavirus crisis, including the flexibility to realign the budgets of agencies to fund COVID-19 programs.
Roque stressed the importance of extending aid to coronavirus-infected individuals who do not have symptoms but need to go through quarantine. He said they “insist” on skipping quarantine, citing the need to work.
“Mukhang kinakailangan talaga na magkaroon ng incentive para mag-isolate lalong lalo na ang asymptomatic,” the official said in a briefing.
[Translation: I think there is a need to give incentive especially to asymptomatic patients.]
The country now has more than 85,000 cases of the viral disease, with nearly 2,000 deaths and around 27,000 recoveries.
