House approves six bills that address COVID-19 impact

The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading six measures intended to help the government contain the spread of the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) and mitigate its economic impact.

“As promised, we worked round the clock to ensure the approval of major anti-COVID measures that were filed in the House of Representatives. I thank my fellow House Members for rising to the challenge of the times, working until 12 midnight and attending sessions that lasted until Thursday and Friday," said House Majority Leader and Leyte Representative Martin Romualdez.

The House approved the P1.3 trillion Accelerated Recovery and Investments Stimulus for the Economy of the Philippines (House Bill 6815), which will help protect jobs and bail out job-creating businesses.

The bill is expected to help some 10 million workers that the Department of Labor and Employment said could lose their jobs because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We acted with dispatch in approving the ARISE Philippines Act to save our people from joblessness and their families from starvation. With this measure, we hope to protect the jobs of 62 percent of our country's workforce who are employed in MSMEs (micro, small and medium-sized enterprises),” added Romualdez. 

The House also approved the Crushing COVID-19 Act (HB 6865) which requires Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) COVID-19 testing for vulnerable members of society including those who do not show outward symptoms.

Also approved on third reading was the proposed COVID-19-Related Anti-Discrimination Act (HB 6817) which seeks to protect persons who are confirmed, suspected or probable COVID-19 cases.

The Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer (FIST) Act (HB 6816) which seeks to help financial institutions resolve their debts and manage their non-performing assets (NPAs) during and after the pandemic was also approved.

Fifth to be approved was the proposed amendment to House Bill 6895 which empowers the President to reschedule the start of the school year during a state of emergency or state of calamity.

The last of the six approved measures is the COVID-19 Unemployment Reduction Economic Stimulus (CURES) Act of 2020 (HB 6920). The measure will empower the government to tap the P1.5-trillion CURES Fund within a period of three years to fund construction projects in health, education, agriculture, local roads, and livelihood.

The House meanwhile approved on second reading the proposed Better Normal for the Workplace, Communities and Public Spaces Act of 2020 (HB 6864) that will require social or physical distancing and safety measures in government and private offices, schools, commercial establishments and other public spaces.