THE  chairman of the Senate Finance Committee on Sunday gave assurances that key provisions of the Bayanihan 2 for the pandemic response can continue to be implemented despite the June 30 expiry of the law.

In particular, Senator Juan Edgardo Angara cited those items providing crucial support for medical frontliners; easing "permitting requirements" for vital infrastructure like telco towers; benefits for agrarian reform clients; and support for pandemic-impacted transportation sector.

Asked which provisions will remain in effect even after the June 30 expiration, Angara said in a radio interview the most crucial of these are benefits of medical frontliners

"As long as there is that declaration of an emergency situation by President Duterte, until revoked, the provisions for our medical frontliners, including benefits for them  should be continued," Angara said in a mix of English and Filipino, recalling that "these were in Bayanihan 1, and we repeated this in Bayanihan 2."

Angara added there were "other  provisions that did not expire, including the permitting requirements for large infrastructure projects," or what are called measures for "streamlining" activities crucial to the pandemic response.

For instance, the senator cited applications for cell site tower permits, as he pointed out this is a key ingredient in boosting connectivity. With the "internet being essential in a pandemic, only minimal permitting requirements are imposed for building cell sites," he explained. This streamlining measure is good for three years, he added.

At the same time, Angara  noted the transportation industry was also among the most adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Whether for air, sea, land—everyone in this sector suffered," he said, with "several businesses even filing for bankruptcy."  Thus, provisions meant to help them recover, will continue, Angara assured.

Benefits for agrarian reform beneficiaries "will continue," he added

The senator said he is among those keen on finding out how much exactly can still be used from Bayanihan 2, and awaits the report of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) July 15.

Meanwhile, he cited a possible "little awareness" of the loan window accounts for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) under the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) as being behind the low availment, even as Angara noted that the loan windows of the Development Bank of the Philippines and the Land Bank of the Philippines did not expire.

Stimulus package

"Moving forward, if Congress (is) legislating similar measures, let us not repeat a project or measure if availment was very low.  There is no stimulating effect  from a provision if there's no or minimal availment, because first of all, this is supposedly a stimulus package."

At the same time, Angara agreed with Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri's suggestion that, moving on, key provisions in the proposed  in the 2022 budget bill.

"Yes, that is very possible," said Angara, asserting that in fact, some provisions that were intended for pandemic response were simply included in the 2021 budget.

"Inclusion in the 2022 budget is a very real possibility," he added, as he noted that, unlike in Bayanihan 1 and 2, there's a cool reception to Bayanihan 3. "No meeting of the minds yet, so to speak," between the Executive and Legislative branches, he added. "Perhaps it's because of the apprehension that we might yet again see the spectacle of billions of Bayanihan 1 and Bayanihan 2 funds being unused despite having been legislated."

As for the national debt, now pegged "at P11 trillion already," he reminded that senators expect the economic managers to soon give Congress a roadmap on the national fiscal situation.  "We have reached 60 percent debt-to-GDP ratio already" as a result of pandemic, but Angara noted that in some countries the debt-to-GDP ratio reached 100 percent in the pandemic. "So the Philippines is more or less in the middle in the range of countries as far as debt to GDP ratio is concerned."

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