LA TRINIDAD, Benguet March 24 – Benguet caretaker congressman and Anti-Crime and Terrorism through Community Involvement and Support (ACT-CIS) Party-list Rep. Eric Go Yap assured the government will be infusing the needed support to the cross-section of society where all sectors will not be left out in the provision of assistance with the enactment of the Bayanihan We Heal Us One Act of 2020 passed upon by both chambers of Congress early Tuesday dawn.
Yap, who chairs the powerful House Committee on Appropriations, said funds of the national government will be downloaded to the local governments primarily to support families heavily impacted by the strict implementation of the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
He said lawmakers and concerned government agencies are now closely coordinating with the local governments to effectively and efficiently address the needs of the concerned sectors who are in dire need of assistance after losing their jobs and their sources of livelihood due to the serious negative effects of the ECQ.
Yap stated that based on the approved bill which is expected to be signed into law by the President the soonest, those that will be prioritized in the distribution of assistance will be the indigent families and those that lost their jobs.
Aside from the assistance to the indigent families and the vulnerable sectors, Yap reported he sourced-out funds for the needs of the hospitals, like the Benguet General Hospital (BeGH), that lack equipment, personal protective equipment and other needs.
According to him, his office continues to provide the needed supply of Vitamin C for senior citizens and each of the municipalities in Benguet will be visited for the distribution of the same for their supply of the important vitamins in the next 2 months.
Yap also allocated funds not only for the BeGH but also for the other district hospitals in Benguet for these to meet the medical needs of the people apart from the additional funds allotted to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for the informal workers, underemployed and other affected sectors.
He urged the Filipino people to continue trusting the government and the leaders claiming it will be the people working together that will combat the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19 threat), further exhorting the Filipinos to continue being resilient and united in facing this crisis.
Yap is one of the principal sponsors of House Bill (HB) 6610 or the Bayanihan We Heal Us One overwhelmingly approved by both the House and the Senate during the special session called for the purpose of enacting measures to allow the government to address the problems arising from the ECQ.
He added that the previous week was so difficult for the Filipinos to internalize the benefits of the quarantine, thus, the government was compelled to take drastic measures to ease the effects of the crisis to the country’s overall economy.
By Dexter A. See