Lacson hopes next Duterte 'Bayanihan' report includes action plans
MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte appears unprepared to execute the special powers that he sought to fight the coronavirus pandemic, a senator said Wednesday, adding that the lack of planning on the part of the executive branch could render such powers pointless.
At a special session that lasted 18 hours, Congress last week readily approved a bill giving Duterte sweeping powers to arrest the spread of the virus and help sectors badly hit by the health crisis. The new law, more popularly known as the “Bayanihan Act,” mandates the president to submit to Congress a weekly report outlining the government’s response to the outbreak.
Where are the action plans?
Commenting on Duterte’s first report, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said that while the chief executive listed three priority programs to avert social and economic catastrophe from the coronavirus fallout, “there does not appear to be an action plan for each of them.”
Lacson is in the joint congressional oversight committee on the Bayanihan Act.
Among the programs that Duterte highlighted in his initial report were providing “emergency” assistance to affected sectors; securing facilities and resources for the health sector; and performing fiscal and monetary actions for the economy.
“Such lack of planning and coordinating threatens to defeat the purpose of the urgency of [Bayanihan Act] — that is, to resolve and fight the virus by way of smooth and expeditious implementation,” Lacson said.
“The lack of foresight in this regard is obviously causing the delays as we see it actually happening now... When we gave it (special powers) to them in a record time of 18 hours, apparently they were not prepared to execute,” he added.
Report due next monday
As of Wednesday afternoon, the Philippines reported 227 new cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), bringing the national tally to 2,311. Of that figure, 96 people died due to complications.
The pandemic — which emerged in China last December — exposed the Philippine government’s lack of foresight on dealing with the crisis, which has overwhelmed the country’s decrepit healthcare infrastructure and paralyzed the economy amid wide-ranging lockdowns.
“There must be an overall plan by the Executive Department to mitigate the risks and minimizing or stopping the spread of COVID-19, including a detailed presentation of how funds will be disbursed and used by the implementing agencies,” Lacson said.
“This must be spelled out in the next report to Congress,” he added.
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