Senators lamented Monday the delay in the release of funds that Congress has allocated for pandemic-hit industries and workers under the Bayanihan to Recover as One or Bayanihan 2 Act.
"It’s unfortunate, we spent many hours and days crafting Bayanihan 2 which was certified as urgent to assist many sectors of society much affected by the pandemic only to be informed they are not ready to implement the same," Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said.
"Surely not only will it delay the assistance needed by families and businesses but will also delay economic recovery," he added.
During a Senate hearing, Recto said that based on the information he received, only P6 billion out of the P165 billion set aside by the law for COVID-19 response and recovery has so far been released by the Department of Budget of Management (DBM).
Before this, the Department of Agriculture (DA) told senators that their P24-billion Bayanihan 2 allocation for direct cash or low interest rate subsidies for affected farmers has yet to be issued by the DBM, over a month after the Bayanihan 2 was signed.
Director Cristina Clasara explained the budget requests require the enumeration of the agencies' projects which is also subject for their review and evaluation of their "higher officials."
The Office of the President also has to give the go-signal before the funds are released to the agencies.
In a separate budget hearing Monday, senators learned from Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat that the P10-billion funds appropriated for the tourism sector have not yet been released to its beneficiaries.
Puyat said 5,000 tourism micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are still awaiting their capital infusion from the Department of Trade and Industry's Small Business Corp. (SBC).
"Right now, we are doing pre-qualifications but we are still following up with the DBM to release the funds to SBCorp. So it's still not given," she said during the committee hearing on the Department of Tourism's proposed 2021 budget.
This has been the same for the funds for the cash-for-work program for displaced tourism sector workers thru the Department of the Labor and Employment and for tourism road projects thru the Department of Public Works and Highways.
Of the P10 billion allotted for the tourism industry under the Bayanihan 2, P6 billion was set aside for the SBC; P3 billion for the DoLE, and P1 billion for the DPWH.
The law also included a P100-million allocation the training and subsidies for tourist guides, which was also still with the DBM at present, Puyat said.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon recalled that lawmakers had to fight over the tourism allocations in the Bayanihan 2.
"Not a single peso out of the P10 billion na pinaglaban natin sa (that defended in the) Bayanihan 2 has been released," Drilon said. "Do not be surprised, do not get angry at the Tourism department did not do anything because there's no money released."