ALBAY Representative Joey Salceda on Tuesday, July 28, 2020, suggested that the House leadership merely adopt the Senate version of the Bayanihan 2 bill after its approval.
Salceda, who also chairs the House committee on ways and means, said this would expedite the enactment of the measure into law.
“Ang proposal ko sana sa House leadership, bago kami nag-recess, na sana i-adopt nalang namin ‘yung sa Senate para dire-diretso na maging batas,” he said in a Laging Handa briefing Tuesday.
Senate Bill 1564 was approved by the Senate on second reading in June 2020. Senate President Vicente Sotto III said they will prioritize the passage of the bill Tuesday.
The bill, or proposed Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, aims to extend the powers granted to President Rodrigo Duterte under the first Bayanihan law, Republic Act No. 11469, to carry out national policies in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
RA 11469 expired on June 25, 2020. The new measure seeks to repeal a provision of the first Bayanihan law which granted the President the power to take over hospitals and other private facilities amid the Covid-19 crisis.
It will also remove the power of law enforcers to arrest or penalize individuals who violate quarantine policies.
The measure also features a P140-billion stimulus fund. (Jove Moya/SunStar Philippines)