Pangilinan: Release P173B Bayanihan 2 funding before June 30

The government needs to obligate the P173 billion in funding under Bayanihan 2 before it expires on June 30 to ramp up Covid-19 vaccination and eventually recover from the lockdown-caused economic slump, Senator Kiko Pangilinan said Sunday.

Noting the spikes in Covid cases in the provinces, the senator also said government needs a lot of catching up to do to achieve its promised herd immunity of 70 million Filipinos inoculated by the end of the year.

“Kami ay may agam-agam dahil right now 100,000 jabs a day pa lang tayo at ang projection ay dapat end of the year maka-70 million jabs tayo, at kung iko-compute natin ‘yan, dapat 700,000 a day ang ating vaccine jabs. Kulang na kulang ito,” Pangilinan said in a radio interview.

“Kapag nabawasan na ang pagkalat ng virus, saka lang maaaring manumbalik ang normalcy, kaya nakasalalay ang malaking bagay sa vaccine roll-out,” he said.

Pangilinan said that while the Department of Health is seeking for an additional 66 billion pesos for Covid response, about 173 billion pesos from Bayanihan 2 law have not been obligated or released yet with the expiration of the law on June 30 just 10 days away.

Citing figures from the Department of Finance, he said at least 173 billion pesos or over a fourth of Covid-19 funds remain unspent.

“Government agencies need to shape up because with this big amount, they can do a lot to ease the difficulties of the Filipinos impacted by the pandemic. It’s a sin to have this much money and be sluggish in acting,” Pangilinan said.

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Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)