Press Release
July 28, 2020

Statement of Senator Joel Villanueva on the passage of Bayanihan 2 bill on third and final reading

We express our gratitude to our colleagues for passing the Bayanihan 2 on third and final reading. But as most of us mentioned earlier on the floor, we are afraid that the Php140 billion fund provided by the Department of Finance is inadequate to cover all the needs of our people.

Kapag po trabaho at edukasyon na ang naging biktima ng pandemya, hindi lang po mahihirapang huminga ang ating ekonomiya, baka maghingalo rin ang pangarap at pag-asang kinakapitan ng ating mga kababayan. Hindi po tayo makakapayag na mangyari ito. Ang "Bayanihan extension" po ang magsisilbing armas natin - lalo na para protektahan ang mga trabaho at panatilihing bukas ang pintuan ng ating mga paaralan at sama-sama nating mapagtagumpayan ang salot na bumabalot sa ating bayan.

Malaking tulong ang ating alokasyon na Php15 billion sa cash-for-work programs at Php17 billion bilang unemployment or involuntary separation assistance sa mga manggagawa, kasama ang mga freelancers, part-time faculty sa private at public tertiary education institutions, at mga manggagawa sa mga kritikal na sektor.

We also introduced an amendment emphasizing the need to immediately conduct tracing of the contacts of confirmed, probable and suspected COVID-19 patients. This will not only help control the risk of transmission, but also ensure that transmission of the virus to health care workers is kept at a minimum. To date, there have been 3,938 healthcare personnel infected by COVID-19. This constitutes 6% of the total cases in the country, which is twice the infection rate of 2-3% for healthcare workers in the Western Pacific Region. Parang isinasabak po natin tuloy sila sa giyera na walang dalang bala, kaya importante ang batas na ito.

Bayanihan 2 also prioritized the development of a clear reintegration program for our returning OFWs. Isinama rin natin ang AKAP program ng DOLE para sa mga OFWs sa listahan ng mga programa na dapat gawing prayoridad sa mga realigned funds. We note that already around 500,000 affected OFWs have applied for AKAP, but the budget, despite recent augmentation, only allows for the provision of assistance to 250,000 beneficiaries.

Our measure also provides a Php3 billion assistance for SUCs for investments in ICT infrastructure and appropriate equipment to implement flexible learning modalities, and Php1 billion assistance to TESDA as additional scholarship funds for the retooling, retraining and upskilling of displaced workers, including returning OFWs, as well as provision of tools.

Recognizing the key role of TESDA in the COVID-19 recovery phase, our amendment for a Php1 billion scholarship funds for TESDA is just appropriate, considering that Php2.103 billion of its 2020 budget has been realigned.

We thank our colleagues for their support and determination to help our people recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

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