The government is now eyeing a P52-billion budget to provide subsidies for patient testing, employment and transportation services “to open up the economy” during the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.
This was among the recommended provisions to be included in the pending stimulus package bill, Bayanihan II bill, in Congress of the economic managers to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) in its meeting on Monday.
Boost public confidence
OF the said amount, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said P10 billion will be allocated for the expanded targeted testing of suspected Covid-19 carriers.
He noted this will boost public confidence “go back to work and restore consumption demand” by ensuring them that infected individuals will be identified.
The measure also aims to minimize the expenses of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), which is currently mandated to pay for the authorized reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of its members.
“We need to open the economy, but before we could do this we need the confidence that workers will have not be infected that is why we are expanding the testing,” Roque said in an online news briefing on Tuesday.
The expanded testing will be complimented with stricter implementation of minimum health standards as well as the localized quarantine in the municipal and barangay level.
Employment component
TO help in enforcing localized quarantines, the government will use a portion of its proposed P15 billion to be used for its cash-for-work program to hire additional contact tracers.
Roque earlier said the government plans to hire an initial 50,000 contact tracers to locate areas, which have large concentration of Covid-19 cases.
The cash-for-work funding will also be used for salary subsidy for small and medium enterprises, which is being proposed by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
Secured transportation
The other proposed P17-billion budget will be used for the “service contracting” of public-utility vehicles (PUV), which are now operating at reduced passenger capacity to enforce social distancing measures.
“The economic team is now considering giving a modest subsidy, which will be enough for public transportation to recoup their costs,” Roque said.
He said the economic managers proposed a scheme wherein PUVs will be given enough subsidy to achieve a “breakeven point plus 10 percent markup less the average daily revenue.”
The economic team noted “full subsidy is not affordable [for the government] and could result to moral hazards, entitlements, and overcrowding [if free].”
They also recommended a study on restriction on certain PUVs like jeepneys; allocation of dedicated lanes for PUVs; accelerate automated fare collection system for PUVs; promotion of active transport mode like walking and cycling, and allowing certain PUVs to travel on routes outside their franchise.
Next regular sessions
Roque said the proposed provision of the Bayanihan II still need a final approval of the IATF since it was only approved in principle by the policy- making body on Monday.
He said the Department of Finance (DOF) earlier said the maximum cost of the stimulus package should be capped to P140 billion only.
The Palace official said President Duterte currently has no request to Congress to hold a special session to tackle the pending bill.
“It seems it could be discussed during the regular [session] of Congress because, after all, the State of the Nation Address is just around the corner in July,” Roque said.
Congress will resume its session during Duterte’s next Sona on the third week of July.
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