President backs bill on pandemic preparedness
June 28, 2020
Warning that the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is “likely to stay with us in the foreseeable future,” President Rodrigo Duterte called on Southeast Asian nations to pass legislation that will help each country respond to public health emergencies.
Duterte made the appeal after he and his fellow Southeast Asian leaders had a “productive” exchange of views with representatives of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) through a virtual conference on Friday.
The AIPA, founded in 1977, is a forum for inter-parliamentary friendship and cooperation among lawmakers of the 10 Asean member-states.
In his remarks, Duterte noted that a pandemic of such a massive scale and severity as Covid-19 required “close cooperation and coordination between the executive and the legislature.”
“Covid-19 is likely to stay with us in the foreseeable future. As we transition to the new normal and move towards recovery, we will once again need the support of the legislative branch,” he said.
The President said among the key areas that needed urgent legislative action were the “institutionalization of national preparedness and response mechanisms for pandemics and other hazards.”
He also called for the creation of a Medical Reserve Corps and a stockpile of strategic and critical materials.
The Philippines also needs to amend its Labor Code, strengthen its social protection system, and update its economic regulations in view of advances in the digital economy, he added.
Duterte lauded Congress for enacting Republic Act (RA) 11469 or the “Bayanihan to Heal As One Act” that expired on Thursday.
According to Malacañang, the President was elated that RA 11469 enabled his administration to implement “timely” emergency measures to soften the impact of the Covid-19 crisis.
Duterte sought the support of the AIPA in crafting an Asean comprehensive recovery plan, according to the Palace.
“Over the past five decades, Asean has seen great progress and overcome many crises through solid cooperation,” the President said.
“Our legislatures have definitely been a crucial partner in this process. Let us then continue to foster this much-needed cohesive and responsive partnership,” he said.
Part of the government’s Covid-19 response was to allocate funds in the proposed P4.3-trillion 2021 budget for the procurement of Covid-19 vaccine, House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said Saturday.
“We know they are being cautious about the deficit but funds should already be allocated for the Covid-19 vaccine. And we can label it as Covid-related programs so that if the vaccine is not yet available, they can use the money for testing or procurement of medical supplies. They won’t have to go back to Congress for additional appropriation,” Cayetano said.
With other countries already expecting a vaccine available in about a year, Cayetano said he and his House colleagues “want to enter 2021 fully aware that the country has to meet the challenges of Covid-19 head-on.”
Aside from vaccine funds, the House will include in next year’s budget economic stimulus appropriations to help affected sectors recover from the pandemic.
“We’re already talking about what part of the 2021 budget is stimulus as well. Such appropriations would be in addition to those that would be contained in Bayanihan 2 or the planned ‘We Recover As One Law,’” the House leader said.
Together with the Senate and Department of Finance, Cayetano said they were now close to agreeing on the final version of the proposed legislation.
He said Bayanihan 2 would allocate up to P200 billion for recovery programs and projects.
The House was expecting a possible call from the President for Congress to convene in a special session during the current recess to approve the proposed law.
Bayanihan 2 will include loans for small and medium businesses, and funds for the procurement of more testing and medical supplies, and for tourism, Cayetano said.
Malacañang on Saturday hit back at Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo for her alleged continued politicking amid the Covid-19 crisis.
In a statement, Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said Robredo should support the “whole-of-government approach” against the pandemic instead of criticizing the government.
“We have been as transparent about our lapses as we are about our gains, and as we have said in previous occasions, fighting Covid-19 is a collective effort. It is a whole-of-government approach,” he said.
Robredo had noted that the country did not act urgently when the coronavirus pandemic broke out, citing the alleged delay in the purchase of protective gear for health workers, among others.
The vice president also asked for a comprehensive report on the government’s pandemic response, including how the Bayanihan funds were spent in the past few months.
Roque said the executive branch “has no monopoly of good ideas and deeds and we have to stress that the effects of Covid-19 have been unprecedented.”
“No country in the world would proudly announce that it has been prepared to meet the challenges posed by the pandemic. We therefore welcome inputs from all sectors, including constructive ideas from the political opposition, to improve our delivery of services,” Roque said
He said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases “has been meeting round-the-clock to constantly review its policies and guidelines, where the good and applicable ones are continued while those proven to be ineffective are replaced for better ones.”
“We find the action of the vice president, which is looking at the glass half-empty — focusing on the shortcomings just to score political brownie points at the expense of the administration — totally unwarranted,” he added.
With reports from Arlie O. Calalo
