Gov’t can tap ₱13-B contingent fund, ₱4.5-B intelligence fund for COVID-19 response — Drilon

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Sunday said President Duterte has enough funds at his disposal to use to compensate health workers and augment relief programs to poor families who are still

suffering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Drilon said the government can tap the ₱13-billion contingent fund and the President’s ₱4.5-billion confidential and intelligence funds to sustain its COVID-19 response despite the expiration of the Bayanihan To Heal As One Act.

The minority issued the statement amid concerns frontline health workers, who are sacrificing their own health and lives to treat patients infected with coronavirus disease, are not entitled to compensation after the said law ended last Friday.

“The President is capable of providing compensation to frontline health workers even without the Bayanihan Law. That can be sustained and it can be sourced from contingent fund or intelligence funding of the President,” Drilon said in an interview over GMANewsTV.

He said that under the 2020 General Appropriations Act (GAA), there is an available ₱4.5-billion confidential and intelligence fund for the President and ₱13 billion for contingent fund.

Drilon reiterated that the President has the power to realign funds and within the executive branch to other items of existing appropriations or items in the 2020 General Appropriations Act to fund COVID-19 response activities.

And under the national budget, he said the President has the power to realign funds within the Executive branch to other items of existing appropriations or items in the 2020 GAA to fund COVID-19 response activities.

Such power is granted by the Constitution and not by the expired Bayanihan law, according to the minority leader.

“The President is authorized to suspend the expenditure of appropriations, declare savings and realign the same under the Article 6, Section 25 of the Constitution, Section 38 and 39 of the Revised Administrative Code, and Section 66 of the 2020 General Appropriations Act,” Drilon pointed out.

Thus, he said, the government should ensure the continuation of relief and assistance programs to the poor and the labor and business sectors heavily hit by the pandemic.

“You cannot say that because the law lapsed or that we are no longer under an enhanced community quarantine, we should stop giving relief and assistance programs to the poor,” he pointed out.

“Many of our countrymen still do not have food to eat and millions have lost jobs and are still unable to get back to work up to now. We should continue to assist them until they are able to get back on their feet,” Drilon said.

Drilon, likewise, urged the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to immediately release the second tranche of government social amelioration program or SAP, the fund for which was already downloaded even before the expiration of Bayanihan Law.

He said the government must not use the transition from Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) to General Community Quarantine (GCQ) as basis not to release the SAP.

“Hindi dahilan na sa wala ng ECQ, wala ng dahilan para hindi magbigay ng tulong, (It’s not an excuse to say that since we’re no longer under ECQ, the cash assistance will also stop),” he pointed out. (Hannah L. Torregoza)