Lawmakers tackle emergency COVID-19 fund realignment bill

Lawmakers will convene a special session on Monday, March 23, to discuss a bill that would grant President Duterte authority to realign funds for the COVID-19 response.

The proposed bill aims to allow the realignment of approximately P200 billion of appropriated government funds for two months.

This realignment is intended to provide food and cash assistance to 16.5 million families nationwide affected by strict quarantine measures.

While officials are considering the P200 billion figure, the specific amount to be approved will not be stated in the bill, and it does not yet include economic stimulus packages.

Additionally, Senator Panfilo Lacson suggested that the government could potentially tap around P989 billion in unused funds from the 2019 national budget for the COVID-19 response.

The special session will also address aid for daily wage earners displaced by the quarantine measures, though the Department of Labor and Employment has not yet provided specific data.

Legislators, in the special session, will need to determine the allocation and distribution of funds, even with the President's realignment authority.