After media reported the P46.2-billion in urgently-needed pandemic response funds stuck in President Rodrigo Duterte’s office, the Chief Executive took out the requirement that he needed to approve the releases.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque on Tuesday, October 27, announced that Duterte had given Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado the power to greenlight the fund releases himself.

“Mas mabuti po ang ginawa ng Presidente, binigyan niya po ng delegated authority si DBM Secretary Avisado para mag-approve na ng release so hindi na po ‘yan dadaan sa Office of the Executive Secretary,” Roque said during his regular Malacañang press briefing.

(What the President did was better, he gave DBM Secretary Avisado delegated authority to approve the releases so they don’t have to go through the Office of the Executive Secretary.)

The funds in question are P46.2 billion in requested releases under the Bayanihan to Recover As One Act or Bayanihan 2. The law sets aside a total of P165.5 billion (of which P25.5 billion is a “standby fund”) for the government to address the impacts of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Avisado, in a previous Palace press conference, said the Bayanihan 2 law requires that Duterte give the final approval for fund releases. Because of this, the P46.2 billion could not be given to government agencies without Malacañang’s say-so.

P57 billion released by DBM

With Duterte’s new policy, Avisado was able to approve the release of P56.9 billion in Bayanihan 2 funds on Tuesday, said Roque.

The amount covers the P46.2 billion items that had been reported pending before Duterte’s office.

The breakdown is as follows:

• P100 million – Department of Trade and Industry’s shared service facilities for Bong Go pet project Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa Program
• P5 billion – National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council’s NDRRM fund
• P8 billion – Department of Labor and Employment adjustment measures program and Tulong Hanapbuhay program for displaced workers
• P6 billion – Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Assistance for Individuals in Crisis Situations
• P11.63 billion – Department of Agriculture’s Plant, Plant, Plant program
• P20.5 billion – pandemic-related response of the Department of Health (includes funds for DOH hospitals, special risk allowance, actual hazard duty pay, free life insrance, accommodation, transportation, meals for health workers, other compensation for public and priate health workers)
• P5.1 billion – DOLE’s AKAP assistance for overseas Filipino workers who lost their jobs
• P500 million – Local Government Support Fund

– Rappler.com