House approves Bayanihan 3 on third reading By ANNA FELICIA BAJO, GMA News
Published June 1, 2021 4:13pm
Updated June 1, 2021 5:01pm The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved on third and final reading the Bayanihan 3 stimulus package, which seeks to provide P401 billion worth of interventions to help Filipinos recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Voting 238-0-1, the lower chamber approved House Bill 9411 or the proposed Bayanihan to Arise As One Act. The said measure aims to extend financial assistance worth P2,000 to all Filipinos, regardless of their status in life, in two tranches. A total of P216 billion was allotted for the cash assistance which will be given to all 108 million Filipinos.
Secretary Eduardo Año (Photo courtesy of DILG)
In the Talk to the Nation briefing with President Duterte, DILG Secretary Eduardo Año reported that 22,915,422 qualified individuals from Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal collectively referred to as NCR-plus received the ayuda (cash aid) amounting to P22,889,119,154.
As of May 31, Año said that eight local government units (LGUs) will be returning the unused funds totalling P26,302,846 to the Bureau of Treasury.
Despite the efforts of the LGUs, Ano said some of the listed recipients can no longer be located by the LGUs as some have transferred their residence or left for the province.
The House ways and means committee approved Monday the tax provisions of the measure seeking the creation of the Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
With practically all House members – except Duterte’s son and a few die-hard Duterte lawmakers – co-authoring the measure, Bayanihan 3 brags the unprecedented and massive support of different lawmakers who crossed party lines. The political reasons are obvious, but on one hand, such a move in the House sans Palace nod says a lot about Duterte’s deliberate neglect of calls for cash aid.