MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte said he has delegated to the Cabinet much of the special powers granted to him by Congress to address the coronavirus pandemic, except the authority to take charge of private businesses “when absolutely necessary.”

Malacañang on Monday night, March 30, aired a 24-minute pre-recorded speech by Duterte reporting his administration’s accomplishments thus far since he signed the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act last Wednesday, March 25.

The measure gives Duterte expanded executive powers meant to enable him to swiftly direct government action on the pandemic.

He said he laid down the responsibilities of each department under the Bayanihan Act in an order he issued to Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea.

“I’ve given them their marching orders, emphasizing the need for sufficient authority so that they do not have to go back to me and ask for clearance for each and every action they have to take,” Duterte said in the video.

“There are now only two powers in the law that I reserve strictly for myself. One is the power to direct the operation of private establishments. The other is the power to require businesses to prioritize contracts for materials and services necessary for the crisis.”

“I will exercise these powers only when absolutely necessary,” he added.

Tapered provisions

The Bayanihan law grants Duterte the power to “direct the operations” of private medical facilities and “other establishments” to house health workers, serve as quarantine areas, aid distribution centers, or serve as temporary medical facilities.

The President may also take charge of private-owned public transportation to ferry health workers and frontline personnel responding to the pandemic.

All these, only “when public interest so requires,” the law states.

In such a case, the management and operation of the enterprise stays with the owner, unless they “unjustifiably refuse” to do so or are incapable of delivering the service the government requires. In that case, the President “may take over their operations” but with limits set by the Constitution.

The emergency measure also authorizes the President to require companies to produce items or services needed to fight the pandemic.

These provisions in the Bayanihan Act were tapered from the administration’s original version it initially planned to ask Congress to pass, which included public utilities such as telecommunications.

The broader proposal drew opposition from some lawmakers. Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III then said, “It won’t fly in the Senate.”

In defending the provision before Congress, Medialdea said it was merely to provide Duterte a “standby power.”

Thank you’s

During his speech, Duterte thanked a long list of people, companies, foundations, and foreign governments for their “outpouring of donations and support” for the Philippines in the first weeks of the pandemic.

The first mention went to China, which had donated 100,000 coronavirus test kits. The Department of Health said it discarded some of these kits because they were only 40% accurate, but Health Secretary Francisco Duque later said the faulty kits came from a private group, not the Chinese government.

Next, Duterte thanked the Singaporean government, which had donated a total of 43,000 coronavirus test kits and two ventilators from the Singapore-based Temasek Foundation.

He also thanked the following people and groups:

• The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, Henry “Bigboy” Sy Jr, and Robert Coyuito Jr
• Ramon Ang 
• Enrique Razon 
• Manny Pangilinan 
• Lucio Tan and Michael Tan 
• Simeon Heo, Shopee Philippines 
• Century Peak Corporation
• Joji Gotianun-Yap 
• Udenna Foundation, Dennis Uy 
• Robert Seng 
• Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, Andrea Domingo 
• The World Health Organization 
• Mammoth Foundation China 
• Jack Ma
• Ciriaco Lopez
• Global Fund 
• Americares Foundation 
• The United Nations Population Fund
• Aboitiz Foundation 
• D&L Corporation
• Golden Topper
• Landers Superstore 
• Unilab Foundation 
• Alliance Global 
• Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation
• Temasek Foundation

Duterte also thanked Archie Po, owner of of the charter aircraft service Lionair, one of whose jet planes caught fire while taking off at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Sunday night, March 29.

Duterte condoled with the families of the 8 people who died in the mishap, and promised them assistance.

In his thank you’s, the President did not mention Vice President Leni Robredo, whose office has made significant efforts to help address the pandemic.

As of Monday afternoon, the Philippines has recorded 1,546 confirmed cases of the disease, with 42 recoveries and 78 deaths. – Rappler.com