AAMBIS-OWA Party-list Representative Sharon Garin on Wednesday, May 26 defended the House of Representatives move to rush the passage of the proposed of a third round of a coronavirus (COVID-19) relief package due to the fact Filipinos badly need a lifeline at this time of a pandemic.

“There is rush to finish this because the people need it,” Garin said in an online forum, referring to the proposed Bayanihan to Arise as One Act or Bayanihan 3.

Garin, who chairs the House Committee on Economic Affairs, said this is the first time she has seen a measure supported by 99 percent of the members of the House.

“This is the first time I’ve seen that one bill has two pages of authors, I think 297 or 298. That’s 99 percent of the members of the House...That’s a huge statement from the House of Representatives. We want Bayanihan 3,” she said.

On Tuesday, the House approved on second reading the Bayanihan 3 bill which seeks now seeks a P401-billion. The original proposal was a P405.6-billion stimulus package.

Garin said the Bayanihan 3 budget would have significant effect to reduce the contraction on the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“We’ve always been consistent that we need to address the contraction. How do we recover from COVID?” she pointed out.

“Kailangan talaga natin ng (we really need the) Bayanihan 3, because when the government spends, the multiplier effect from that is really significant. For some way, it will ease the contraction,” she explained.

The lawmaker also allayed concerns that the Bayanihan 3 is not included in the priority measures of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council or LEDAC.

She said the House economic panel have been meeting with the Executive department consistently to discuss the passage of the Bayanihan 3.

“I don’t think it’s not that they don’t want it, it’s just that we have to arrive with the right programs that we want implemented,” she stressed.