Bayanihan To Heal As One: What’s In Store For You?

Bayanihan To Heal As One: What’s In Store For You?

On March 16, President Rodrigo R. Duterte declared a state of calamity throughout the country. This was followed by the imposition of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in all of Luzon due to the rising number of COVID-19 confirmed cases. The declaration stalled many businesses, disrupting the livelihood of many Filipinos and the economic activity of the country in general. 

To cushion the financial impact of the ECQ, the President signed into law the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act (RA 11469).  The government dropped ₱275 Billion for this economic stimulus and the funds are spread out into various financial relief packages for individuals from the different sectors in the society.  And this measure is valid for three months unless extended by Congress.

Here, we dissect each of the provisions for eligible Filipinos to apply and receive the government assistance they need during this period.

Healthcare provisions for COVID19 patients and workers

In a nutshell, here are the financial provisions to the healthcare system in the country as stipulated by the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act.

  • Mandate that public and private health workers who contract the virus will be given ₱100,000, and ₱1 million for the families of health workers who succumbed to the virus while in the line of duty.
  • Direct PhilHealth to shoulder all medical costs of workers exposed to the coronavirus for the duration of the emergency.
  • Give health workers a special risk allowance on top of their regular hazard pay.
  • Take over private medical facilities.
  • Enforce protective measures against hoarding and profiteering of commodities such as food, fuel, medicine, and medical supplies.

Meanwhile, Philhealth recently rolled out Benefit Packages for the Spectrum of Care for COVID-19. The following are the proposed rates indicated in the government’s most recent report to the congress dated April 8, 2020.

COVID-19 testing~₱8,150 (all components covered by the package)
~₱5,450 (if the kits are donated)
~₱2,170 (PRC testing unbundled)
Community Isolation₱22, 449 (with LGU overhead)
Mild pneumonia (elderly)₱43,997
Moderate pneumonia₱333,519
Severe pneumonia₱143,267
Critical pneumonia ₱786,384

Financial assistance to affected workers

Perhaps the biggest chunk of the Bayanihan To Heal As One Act’s budget is allocated to the provision of monthly relief to affected workers for two months. These financial relief are the following:

1. COVID Adjustment Measures (CAMP)

DOLE has recently authorized to implement a ₱180-million emergency employment program aimed at providing financial assistance to individuals with formal employment  who were left jobless or lost their source of income due to the enhanced community quarantine. 

Who can apply for this?

Employees of private companies who are affected by the flexible work arrangement and temporary closure of their company due to the enhanced community quarantine.

How much can you get?

This program is a temporary relief provision that will grant ₱5,000 to the affected private-sector employees. 

What are the requirements?

  • Establishment report on COVID19
    You can download the template here. Individual applicants will need to have their employer/HR fill-up the form
  • Payroll slip from the company. Individual applicants will need to secure this from their HR
  • Bank account number of employees, specific branch, and bank address
  • Updated contact numbers of affected workers

Individual applicants may only provide their personal information.

How to apply?

Employers are tasked to apply for this financial relief program. The funds will be channeled to the employers and the employer will disburse it to their employees. In other words, ask your HR or management to apply for this for you. 

However, in a more recent update, workers are now allowed to apply directly to DOLE. They just need to submit their own forms to the DOLE office in their respective regions or cities. 

Once all the documents are completed, submit it through email assigned to your respective regions. The email addresses can be found here.

How can you get the funds?

Funds will be disbursed directly to the workers’ bank accounts after 3 business days within three business days upon submission of the complete documents.  

Cash disbursement, on the other hand, will be sent via money remittance.

2. Social Amelioration Program (SAP)

An initiative that will be carried out by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) provisioning ₱5,000 to ₱8,000 per month for two months to their target beneficiaries. 

Target beneficiaries of the SAP are low-income families or those on subsistence economy or workers in the informal economy, and with members belonging to the vulnerable sector, assessed to be the most affected by the declaration given their existing life situations or circumstances.

Who can apply for SAP?

DSWD clarified that primarily, only low-income families belonging to the informal sector are covered by the emergency cash subsidies.

How much can you get?

The amount that will be provisioned by the SAP will vary depending on the Region’s minimum wage. The amount would range from ₱5,000 to ₱8,000. For residents in NCR, the amount will be ₱8,000. This subsidy program is a program under the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act

For your information

The cash subsidy will be provided per household, not per individuals

Who else is covered?

Covered are families with at least one member who is a/an:

  • Senior citizen
  • Person with disability
  • Pregnant and lactating woman
  • Solo parent
  • Member of the poor indigenous community
  • Homeless
  • Informal economy worker (such as directly hired, subcontracted house helpers, public utility drivers, street vendors)
  • Anyone who earns wage below the prescribed minimum rate (examples: dishwashers and helpers in carinderia)
  • Employee with no-work no-pay situation
  • Distressed overseas Filipino workers
  • Entrepreneur with an asset of less than P100,000
  • Family enterprise owner
  • Farmer
  • Fisherfolk
  • Stranded workers who cannot return to their places of residence at the moment

Government workers are not included.

Households that have members who are government employees, even as the head of the family is an informal sector worker, will not be included in the beneficiaries of the emergency cash subsidy because government workers continue to receive salaries despite the suspension of work.

4Ps beneficiaries

They will not receive the entire amount of emergency cash subsidy allocated to their region. They will only be provided with additional cash on top of what they are already receiving under the conditional cash transfer program.

How is the list of beneficiaries determined?

The Local Government Units (LGU) will submit their databases of target beneficiaries to the national government. If you are qualified and want to make sure that you get included in the list, coordinate with your local government or barangay officials. 

How to get the SAP card?

DSWD will distribute social amelioration cards to LGUs, which in turn will be handed out to the barangay officials. 

This is just the preparation for the distribution of cash assistance.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4

3. Tulong Panghanapbuhay Sa Ating Displaced/Disadvantaged Workers Program, Barangay Ko, Bahay Ko (TUPAD BKBK)

A program of DOLE that aims to reduce poverty and push for inclusive growth. It’s a community based (municipality/barangay) financial assistance that provides wage employment for displaced workers, underemployed, and self-employed workers. 

Who can apply for this?

The beneficiaries of the program are the underemployed, self-employed workers, and displaced marginalized workers who have lost their livelihoods or whose earnings are affected due to the Enhanced Community Quarantine against COVID-19. 

More specifically, they are those who work as the following:

  • Transport drivers (jeepney, tricycle, pedicab)
  • Construction workers
  • House helpers
  • Farmers
  • Fishermen
  • Street vendors
  • Small business owners (sari-sari store and carenderia)

Nature of work and length of employment

This program will employ eligible individuals to the program to conduct disinfection or sanitation of their houses/dwelling and the immediate vicinity of their houses. 

The duration of work under TUPAD will only be limited to 10 days.

How to apply?

The local government units (LGU) are tasked to identify the eligible applicant in their respective community or barangays. They will submit a list of applicants to DOLE Regional/Field Office through the Public Employment Service Office in their city. 

If you want to be considered for this program, coordinate with your local barangay officers. 

How much can you get?

The amount you’ll get will be equivalent to the highest minimum daily wage in your region and a maximum of 10 working days’ wages. 

Depending on your region, the amount you’ll receive will be  ₱316 to ₱537 per day for 10 days. 

Business owners

Nothing is fully set in stone yet for the relief provision by the government to the business owners. However, here’s what the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act currently has in their pipeline.

Ensure the availability of credit to the productive sectors of the economy especially in the countryside. Department of Trade and Industry

– currently preparing for the implementation of the ₱1-Billion P3 Enterprise Rehabilitation Financing (ERF), which includes restart and/or restock of businesses to avoid foreclosure of their business assets. This program will start once quarantine restrictions are lifted.

This is a developing story and will be updated once new information about the relevant points in the areas highlighted above become available.

Latest News

President Duterte on September 11, 2020 signed the supplementary “Bayanihan to Recover as One” or Bayanihan 2 law which grants special powers to the president until December 19 to continue the fight against the ongoing pandemic.

Meanwhile, to help you cope with the current crisis, here are some other stories you can read!

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