Bayanihan 3 hurdles House panel

MANILA, Philippines — The proposed Bayanihan to Arise as One Act or “Bayanihan 3” bill has hurdled the committee level in the House of Representatives and should be ready for plenary deliberations next week.

At a meeting yesterday, the appropriations committee chaired by ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Eric Yap approved the proposed measure for the P405.6-billion stimulus package, which includes P2,000 “ayuda” or cash aid for 110 million Filipinos.

The bill, principally authored by Speaker Lord Allan Velasco and Marikina City Rep. Stella Quimbo, was earlier passed by the House committees on social services, economic affairs and ways and means.

The House is targeting the passage of the bill before sessions adjourn sine die on June 4.

The measure’s swift approval in the plenary is expected after a total of 224 members from the supermajority, minority and independent blocs in the chamber have already signed either as principal authors or co-authors of the measure.

“The passage of the proposed Bayanihan 3 law – which proposes a P405.6-billion fund to stimulate the nation’s recovery from the COVID-19 crisis – has become more imperative as the country’s gross domestic product fell 4.2 percent in the first quarter of 2021 from a year earlier, marking the fifth straight quarter of declines amid pandemic-induced lockdowns,” Velasco stressed.

Proponents cited the need for financial aid for businesses and workers affected by localized lockdowns as some businesses were again forced to shut down due to the recent upsurge in COVID-19 cases.

“Everyone should be given aid during this pandemic,” Velasco said.

The Marinduque congressman added that economic managers of the administration and the House’s economic team will be working hand-in-hand to look for funding for the P405.6-billion measure that would serve “as a lifeline for many Filipinos facing economic hardship during this crisis.”

Quimbo, for her part, gave assurance that the measure is feasible and could be implemented without the budget deficit of the government reaching 8.9 percent of gross domestic product.

“As an economist, I would say this is feasible because of the principle of pump priming the economy. And that’s why we added two items to the bill – borrowing from BSP (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) and more importantly the increase in dividend rate of GOCCs (government-owned and controlled corporations) which will allow an increased amount of dividend remittances from the GOCCs to national government,” explained Quimbo.

A similar measure seeking a P335 billion in stimulus funds was filed in the Senate by Sen. Manny Pacquiao.

Anti-discrimination bill

In another development, a measure prohibiting discrimination on a wide range of grounds was also passed at the committee level.

Members of the House committee on human rights decided to approve the Comprehensive Anti-Discrimination Bill that seeks to prohibit discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity, race, color, sex, gender, religious expression and political opinion, among others.

The measure also proposes penalty on acts of discrimination that are directly or indirectly based on the actual or perceived ethnicity, race, color, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, sex characteristics, language, religious expression or belief, political or other opinions, national or social origin, property, birth and other status.

It also prohibits discrimination based on disability, age, nationality, marital and family status, health status, place of residence, economic and social situation, maternity and pregnancy.

The bill lists specific acts of discrimination, including denial of rights to political participation, organize, employment, education and training.

Under the measure, a person cannot be denied employment, refused promotion or terminated on the basis of the protected attributes.

Also, no person can be denied access to goods and services, including being refused entry into an establishment, based on the same grounds.

The bill also prohibits any act that promotes and encourages stigma, including content in the media and educational textbooks.

The bill provides penalties for acts that inflict stigma, vilification and ridicule; profiling; inflicting harm on health and well-being; abuses by state and non-state actors; and arbitrary detention and confinement against those identified by this measure.

If passed into law, the penalty for such acts of discrimination will be imprisonment of six months to five years and/or a fine of P50,000 to P500,000, depending on the court.

The draft substitute bill is a consolidation of House Bill 136 authored by Bataan Rep. Geraldine Roman; HB 4216 by Quezon City Rep. Alfred Vargas; HB 4587 by Cebu City Rep. Rodrigo Abellanosa; HB 4647 by Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr.; HB 4684 by Majority Leader Ferdinand Martin Romualdez; HB 5356 by Quezon City Rep. Precious Hipolito Castelo; HB 5969 by Deputy Speaker Bienvenido Abante Jr.; HB 6024 by Deputy Speaker Eduardo Villanueva; HB 6098 by Deputy Speaker Ferdinand Hernandez and HB 7217 by Bohol Rep. Kristine Alexie Tutor.

It will now be submitted to the plenary for debate and deliberations.