House panel OKs P1.65-B budget to address COVID-19 cases

MANILA, Philippines — The House appropriations committee approved on Tuesday a bill seeking a supplemental budget of P1.65 billion to augment the Department of Health (DOH)’s funds to address the rise in cases on the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The additional allocation, however, was reduced by about P400 million from the initially proposed P2 billion, after an official of the Bureau of Treasury informed the panel that only P1.65 billion was available from the government’s excess income.Allocations

The committee, headed by ACT-CIS Rep. Eric Yap, agreed to substitute two measures for plenary consideration: House Bill No. 6177, by Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, chair of the House ways and means panel, and House Bill No. 6166, by Quezon Rep. Angelina Tan, chair of the House health panel.

Health Undersecretary Roger Tong-An advised the House panel that the DOH needed some P3 billion, of which P2.35 billion would be spent on protective wear for as long as 90 days, for some 5,000 health workers — including N95 face masks, gloves, aprons and shoe covers — and P933 million would go to the maintenance and operating expenses of the Bureau of Quarantine.

Another P139 million was sought for the procurement of 40,000 test kits for the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.

Yap said Congress might pass the supplemental budget to give “flexibility to the President.”

Tan, however, quoted Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado as telling her, “We don’t need it as of this moment.”

She said she was told the supplemental budget “will not be certified urgent.”

House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said he asked Yap to coordinate with Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office to ask for a certificate of urgency, which would allow the House to bypass the three-day notice rule in approving a bill.

‘Don’t panic’

There is no need to panic and clear out grocery shelves because of the rise in COVID-19 cases, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez reminded the public on Tuesday.

“Don’t panic and buy all the items in the grocery. That’s not necessary,” he said.

“[T]he problem is these would just go bad if you’re unable to use these,” he added.

Lopez said the Philippine International Trading Corporation was facilitating the importation of some 2.5 million masks from India.

The lone manufacturer of these masks in the country has committed to provide 1.6 million masks a month to the Philippines.

Lopez said the Department of Trade and Industry would be negotiating for a bigger allocation, after the manufacturer had been allowed to expand.

He said he would request two million masks for the Philippines for the next two months.—Reports from DJ Yap and Leila B. Salaverria