VP Robredo urges Congress to realign budget for COVID-19 response

Vice President Leni Robredo urged Congress to realign the national budget to prioritize the health sector's needs, including personal protective equipment (PPE), testing kits, and medical equipment like ventilators and oxygen.

She also called for additional compensation and temporary housing for frontliners, as well as new hospital wings and isolation areas for patients and individuals under monitoring.

Robredo emphasized the importance of providing social safety nets, such as unconditional cash transfers and food security programs for the poor, and financial assistance for daily wage earners and affected businesses.

Congress is in a special session to discuss measures allowing President Duterte to realign the 2020 budget for the COVID-19 response.

As of March 23, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) fund drive has raised P23.5 million.

The OVP has used P11.2 million of these funds to provide PPE sets and extraction kits for health workers.