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Friday, March 29, 2024

P355 billion used up to fight COVID, extra budget eyed

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The Philippines has spent P355 billion to fight the coronavirus pandemic, Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado said Wednesday, adding more funds were needed to address the problem.

READ: May budget deficit swelled to P202 billion

He said P247.52 billion of that amount came from pooled savings, while P96.7 billion came from unprogrammed appropriations.

“We see more expenses coming because the effect of COVID-19 is persistent,” Avisado said.

He also said the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) would propose a P4.3-trillion national budget for 2021 to equip the government against the pandemic.

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That is higher by 5 percent compared to this year’s warchest, and the proposal would be submitted to President Rodrigo Duterte by mid-August at the latest, Avisado said.

“All of this is still in line with the national government’s priorities and our desire to precisely combat this pandemic,” Avisado said in a virtual press briefing.

Having more control over funding is also why Malacañang said Wednesday the President must extend his emergency powers to address the pandemic despite the Philippines’ being in “good shape” for its COVID-19 response.

“We would need to have emergency powers again because it takes forever to comply with the Procurement Act for purposes of emergency medical purchases,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a television interview.

READ: Record 1,150 new cases sets total near 32k, UP team cites relaxed lockdown for surge

“The most important power we can no longer exercise is the purchase of medical-related materials, and so far I think we’re in good shape.”

The Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, which gives Duterte temporary emergency powers to fight COVID-19, expires on June 25.

Roque said Duterte’s emergency powers were necessary to allow the government to augment the medical supplies for the treatment of COVID-19, and to supervise some private hospitals that were attending to the needs of infected individuals.

He said the Philippines had already received one million personal protective equipment out of the eight million it placed a bid for, while the ventilators that the government had ordered were already being distributed to hospitals.

The Finance department last week said the government planned to raise up to P400 billion from borrowings to help finance the Philippines’ recovery from the pandemic.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno earlier said the Philippines needed fresh funds to spur job creation.

Avisado said the Duterte administration would focus on programs that would address unemployment next year.

The Philippines’ unemployment rate in April jumped to a record 17.7 percent, which was equivalent to 7.3- million jobless Filipinos. The unemployment rate last topped 10 percent in January 2005, when it settled at 11.3 percent.

“We will concentrate more on labor-intensive projects and activities to give income opportunities to the most vulnerable and affected sectors and workers,” Avisado said.

READ: House passes 389 bills, stimulus measures

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