CONGRESS DECLARES NATIONAL EMERGENCY

President, among others, granted control over funds of at least P275 billion and legal authority to “direct the operation” of certain privately owned facilities

stay home and keep themselves safe and other Filipinos safe,” Senator Pia Cayetano said in her sponsorship speech.

The measure also provides a Covid-19 special risk allowance a for all public health workers, a P100,000 compensation for public and private healthcare workers who contract the new coronavirus while battling the pandemic, and a compensation of P1 million for the family of a healthcare worker who dies from the disease.

Cayetano assured that funds are availble. Among the possible by recently implemented tax reforms, concessional financing of up to $2 billion (roughly P100 billion) from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, a grant of $3 million from ADB, and a loan of $100 million from the World Bank to fight Covid-19.

“We will work with other sources to finance the balance. The confidence that the financial sector places in our country signifies that they are confident in our ability to reenergize the economy and pay back what we borrow,” she said. Additional powers

SB1418, which is authored primarily by Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Cayetano, grants the President the power to adopt the following temporary emergency measures:

> Adopt and implement measures to prevent or suppress further transmission of the novel coronavirus through effective education, detection, protection and treatment;

> Expedite and streamline the accreditation of testing kits and facilitate prompt testing by public and designated private institutions of patients under investigation (PUIs) and persons under monitoring (PUM) as well as compulsory and immediate isolation and treatment of patients, with the cost to be covered by Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth);

> Ensure that all local government units (LGUs) are acting in line with the rules, regulations and directives issued by the national government.

> When the public interest so requires, direct the operation of any privately owned hospitals and medical and health facilities as well as passenger vessels and other establishments to house health workers or serve as quarantine areas, quarantine centers, medical relief and aid distribution locations, or other temporary medical facilities, or transport frontline personnel. The owners of these facilities will retain management and operation of these facilities.

> Enforce measures to protect the people from hoarding profiteering, injurious speculations, manipulation of prices, product deceptions, and cartels, monopolies or other trade barriers that affect the supply of basic necessities and sanitation products. > Ensure that donation acceptance and distribution of health products are not unnecessarily delayed.

> Undertake in the most expeditious manner the procurement of essential goods and protective equipment, lease of real property

to house health workers or serve as quarantine centers or temporary medical facilities, establishment and construction of temporary medical facilities with utilities, telecommunications and other critical services.

> Engage the services of the Philippine Red Cross as the primary humanitatian agency that humanitarian agency that is auxiliary to the government in giving aid to the people subject to reimbursement.

> Engage temporary human resources for health to supplement the current health workforce or man the temporary medical facilities.

> Lower lending rates and reserve requirements to ensure availability of credit;

> Liberalize the grant of incentives for the manufacture or importation of critical or needed equipment or supplies.

> and Require accept businesses contracts to for prioritize necessary materials and services. > Regulate operation of both public and private transportation sector, whether by land, sea or air. > Regulate traffic and clear roads of encroachments or obstacles.

> Authorize alternative working arrangements for executive department employees as well as in other branches of government and the private sector.

> Conserve and regulate the distribution and use of power, fuel, energy and water to ensure adequate supply.

> Direct the discontinuance of appropriated programs, projects or activities of any agency of the executive branch, including government-owned and -controlled corporations, “whether released or unreleased the allotments for which remain unobligated”.

Savings generated from the discontinuance of some activities will be used to augment funds to support operations directly related to the battle against the pandemic.

An oversight committee would ensure that realignment of funds is based on the availability of funds and the necessity of spending these.

Deputy House Speaker Luis Raymond "Lray" Villafuerte. in his own sponsorship speech at the House, assured that there would be no corruption in the disbursement of funds.