MANILA, Philippines — Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas on Friday urged the House of Representatives to hold a special session to discuss the proposed Bayanihan 3 and the Makabayan bloc’s bill calling for a P10,000 aid to be given to poor families.
“We will ask the House leadership to include this bill in the deliberations of the Bayanihan 3 bill, which is currently at the technical working group level,” Brosas said during a Makabayan bloc press briefing.
“Kailangang magpatawag ng special session para talakayin at ipasa ang panukalang Bayanihan 3 kasama ang panukalang P10,000 ayuda na isinusulong namin sa Makabayan bloc,” she added.
(We need to hold a special session to discuss and pass the Bayanihan 3, as well as the P10,000 aid that the Makabayan bloc is pushing.)
In a separate statement, Brosas said that she had filed House Bill No. 9089, which would provide P10,000 to 18 million low-income and poor families over the next two months.
“Filipinos cannot survive the current recession and new round of restrictions with the repeated stay-at-home reminders,” she said.
“Kailangan ng pagkain sa mesa ng mamamayan, at matitiyak ito kung may sapat na ayuda (The people need food on the table, and this is guaranteed if aid will be distributed.)
Speaker Lord Allan Velasco previously renewed his call for the passage of the Bayanihan 3, which aims to provide P420 billion to help the country recover amid the economic slump due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
READ: Velasco renews push for Bayanihan 3; says DOF working to find fund sources
The Speaker added 224 House members—from the supermajority, minority, and independent blocs—have joined him either as principal authors or co-authors of the proposed measure.
READ: Velasco renews push for Bayanihan 3; says DOF working to find fund sources