House receives Duterte’s 1st weekly report on use of additional powers

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has submitted to the House of Representatives his first weekly report on his use of additional powers to boost the government’s fight against the coronavirus disease pandemic.

This was confirmed to INQUIRER.net by Camarines Sur 2nd District Rep. and Deputy Speaker Luis Raymond “LRay” Villafuerte on Tuesday.

“Meron [nang nai-submit na report] but I have not seen it [yet] (A report has been submitted but I have not seen it yet),” Villafuerte, who sponsored the passage of Republic Act No. 11469 or the Bayanihan To Heal As One Act in the lower chamber, said in a text message.

R.A. 11469 declares a national emergency due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and grants  Duterte additional powers, for a limited period, to address the crisis.

Section 5 of the measure states that Duterte, during Monday of every week, shall submit a weekly report to Congress “of all acts performed pursuant to this Act.”

“The report shall likewise include the amount and corresponding utilization of the funds used, augmented, reprogrammed, reallocated and realigned pursuant to this Act,” the law states.

A Joint Congressional Oversight Committee, which is composed of four members of the Senate and four members of the House, shall check if actions taken by the executive branch are “within the restrictions” provided by the law.

The Department of Health (DOH) said there are 1,546 cases of COVID-19 in the country as of Monday afternoon.

The number of patients who died from the disease meanwhile rose to 78 while the number of those who recovered remains at 42.

/MUF