Manila Bulletin
Gov’t has enough funds to fight virus – officials
Senator Christopher "Bong" Go assured the public that the Philippine government has sufficient funds to combat the COVID-19 crisis and support the Department of Health (DOH) and other agencies.
Go reiterated that funds can be sourced from PAGCOR (P2 billion) and PCSO (P420 million), while the DOH has P539 million in savings and an P81 million quick response fund.
Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo added that Malacañang can tap funds from PAGCOR and has provided P100 million monthly aid to the Philippine General Hospital and P50 million to the military hospital.
The President also committed to providing needed funds for increased production of medical test kits.
A House of Representatives panel has approved a P1.6 billion supplemental budget for the DOH, and a proposal for a P10 billion to P15 billion supplemental budget for testing kits is also being considered.
If current financial resources become insufficient, Go suggested a special session for Congress to approve a supplemental budget.
The declaration of a State of Public Health Emergency allows local government units to use their local disaster risk reduction and management funds.
Topics in this story
Explore more stories about these topics.
🤖
This story was generated by AI to help you understand the key points. For more detailed coverage, please see the news articles from trusted media outlets below.
News Sources
See how different news organizations are covering this story. Below are the original articles from various Philippine news sources that contributed to this summary.
Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) will provide additional funds to augment the government's response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Read more →
A House panel has approved a P1.65 billion supplemental budget to support the government's response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
+1
Read more →
Government leaders assure the public that there are sufficient funds to combat the COVID-19 crisis, alleviating fears of financial inadequacy.
Read more →
The Office of the President is prepared to fund the intensified production of COVID-19 test kits.
Read more →
Senator Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go favors a special session to approve a supplemental budget for the COVID-19 response, echoing the Senate minority bloc's call.
+1
Read more →