Congress declares national emergency

MANILA chambers similar - of As Congress measures requested, have declaring both approved a state of national emergency arising from the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic and granting President Rodrigo Duterte special powers for two to three months to respond to this emergency.

The House of Representatives then adopted the Senate version, thus convene committee eliminating a bicameral and ensuring the conference need that the to measure the President is submitted for approval directly and to enactment into law.

Voting 284-9 with zero abstention, the House approved on third and final reading House Bill No. 6616 (We Heal as One Act) at around midnight of Monday, March 23. About approved an hour Senate later, Bill the No. Senate 1418 (Bayanihan to Heal as One Act) with 20 affirmative votes.

A couple of hours more later, or at past 3 a.m. Tuesday, March 24, members of the House approved Majority Leader Martin Romualdez’s motion to adopt SB1418 as amendment to HB6616.

The Senate version granted the President, among others, control over funds of at least P275 billion under the 2020 General Appropriations Act and legal authority to “direct the operation” of certain privately owned facilities as well as deal with “wayward” local government officials.

The President is given the legal authority to reprogram, reallocate and realign any unutilized or unreleased funds as well as savings and investments held by any national government agency, including government-owned and -controlled corporations, to raise needed subsidy two months the for of estimated P5,000 a to monthly 18 million to P200 emergency P8,000 low-income billion for families.

These include the 4.4 million beneficiaries of the government’s conditional cash transfer program, whose current allowance will just be topped up to reach the P5,000 to P8,000 subsidy.

“This (subsidy) will provide for their food and other daily needs, and will increase the chances that they will