By Vanne Elaine Terrazola Legislators may just tweak the "Bayanihan to Heal as One" Act (Republic Act No. 11469) to authorize the government to use more funds for COVID-19 response. Sen. Vicente Sotto III
(Senate of the Philippines / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) Senate President Vicente Sotto III raised this as he said that the law, which granted President Duterte the power to realign government funds to address the new coronavirus pandemic and its impacts, might be enough to resolve its depleting COVID-19 budget. "Sa katotohanan lang, pagka tiningnan mong mabuti, pinag-aralan mo yung batas, wala kaming nilagay na amount. Wala kaming specific amount na nilagay sa kabuuan...kasi, alam namin na pwedeng kailangan mas malaki ang elbow room (To be honest, if you look at the law, we did not specify any amount because we know that there has to be a bigger elbow room for the use of government funds for COVID-19 response)," Sotto, a principal author of the RA No. 11469, said in a radio interview Sunday. "Sa ngayon, ang iniisip nga nung iba, baka daw kailangan ng supplemental budget, kakapusin ito, meron pang mga additional na mga ganito. Kung tutuusin, hindi kailangan sapagkat nandoon lahat ang binigay naming power doon sa RA 11469, hindi na kailangan ng supplemental budget (Now, some are saying we need a supplemental budget, because we will run out of funds and there are additional requirements. But if you look at it, we gave the President all the powers he needs under the RA 11469, so the supplemental budget might not be necessary at all)," he said. The Bayanihan to Heal as One Act authorized the President to realign and use the unused appropriations and savings in the executive branch to programs responding to the national health emergency. The law, signed by Duterte March 24, is valid for three months. Sotto said the Congress may amend this sunset provision to give the national government more time to allocate more funds for COVID-19 response. "Napakalaki ng binigay namin na pwersa or power, special powers sa Pangulo, sa Executive Department, para magawa 'yan (We gave so much power to the President, the executive department, so they can do that)," Sotto said. "Pwede ng itiklop yun, kaya nandoon lahat (We can tweak that, and everything he needs is there)," he said. President Duterte earlier asked Congress to authorize the use of additional funds for COVID-19 response, saying the government's budget for this purpose has depleted. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said that the government has "sufficient" cash available but said they lacked the authority to use it for the pandemic. He said they have so far spent P352.7 billion on COVID-19 response. Sotto said that the Senate is ready to do its part to help the national government with its funding needs for COVID-19 concerns.