House feud delays DOH supplemental budget

MANILA, Philippines — Infighting at the House of Representatives has further delayed the passage of a bill that would grant an additional P2.25-billion budget to the Department of Health (DOH) for personal protective equipment for healthcare workers fighting the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Health Secretary Francisco Duque III told reporters Wednesday.

Congress has yet to approve the supplemental budget the DOH had asked for early last month, he added.

The delay came following the move of Speaker Alan Cayetano to strip Davao Rep. Isidro Ungab of chairmanship of the House appropriations committee, citing coup attempts against him by Ungab ally, Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco.

—Jovic Yee