A lawmaker is seeking a three-month extension of President Rodrigo Duterte’s special powers given to fight the COVID-19 pandemic under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act.
Rufus Rodriguez, a representative from Cagayan de Oro, said he would file a bill today that would extend the effectivity of Republic Act No. 11469, which is valid for only three months.
“Such powers are good for three months. Unfortunately, two months after the effectivity of the law, the end to the pandemic is not yet in sight,” said Rodriguez, who is also the chair of the House constitutional amendments committee.
“It is therefore clear that the pandemic will not be over by June 24,” he added.
On March 25, Duterte signed the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act of 2020. The law granted the President 30 special powers related to the country’s response to the coronavirus crisis.
Using the special powers, Duterte issued the social amelioration program, which gives low-income families P5,000 to P8,000 in emergency cash aid.
He also granted special risk allowance for health workers on top of their regular hazard pay.
The law also directed Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to shoulder all medical costs of workers exposed to COVID-19 during the state of national emergency.
The Bayanihan to Heal as One Act also gave Duterte the power to take over private medical facilities and public transportation.
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Duterte’s special powers
The law also allows Duterte to cancel appropriated programs or activities of any agency of the executive branch and realign or allocate the savings to COVID-19 response.
Some lawyers criticized the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act for being “superfluous.” They said Duterte did not need special powers to implement the abovementioned measures since there are existing laws that give Duterte such powers.
According to Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) said, Republic Act No. 11332 or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act already gives the President the powers to respond to any pandemic.
Duterte meanwhile has to submit to Congress weekly reports on the utilization and realignment of COVID-19 funds.