2020 GAA funds to be available till Dec. 2021 By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie
& Samuel P. Medenilla
T A group of jeepney drivers and operators held a protest beside the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Pasay City to oppose the phaseout of public transport and demanded the restoration of their jeepney routes. ROY DOMINGO
@sam_medenilla
O support economic stimulus efforts as well as pending infrastructure projects of the government, the House of Representatives on Monday approved on third and final reading the bill seeking to extend the availability of the funds appropriated under the 2020 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
Voting 221 affirmative, 6 negative with no abstension, lawmakers approved House Bill 6656 to amend Section 60 of the General Provisions of the FY 2020 General Appropriations Act, which provides for a one-year validity of all appropriations, thereby extending the availability of appropriations until December 31, 2021. The bill, which was certified urgent by President Duterte, will now be transmitted to the Senate for its own deliberations.
Tuesday, December 15, 2020 Vol. 16 No. 68
Delays possible
Malacañang said the signing of the 2021 budget could now face delays since it has yet to be reviewed by President Duterte. As of noontime on Monday, the bicameral conference of Congress has yet to submit the copy of the legislation to the Office of the President (OP) for consideration. This, even after the House of Representatives and the Senate already ratified the final version of the legislation last week. The Palace wants the legislation
to be submitted to the President before December 15, 2020 so he could still review its provision and exercise his power to implement a line veto if necessary. “It has to be received soon [by the OP] first since it still has to go through a review,” Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said. He said this was necessary if the government wants the legislation to comply with the 15-day publication rule and take effect before January 2021. Continued on A2
BAYANIHAN 2 EXTENSION SEEN; 73% OF FUND OUT w
n
P25.00 nationwide | 2 sections 16 pages |
STUDY: MARKET SHIFTS IN EUROPE MAY BENEFIT LOCAL FOOD EXPORTERS By Cai U. Ordinario
H
Trucks along R-10 Road in Manila queue up ahead of the lifting of the truck ban hours on Monday, December 14. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) reimposed its ban on trucks on Metro Manila’s streets in order to ease vehicular congestion during the holiday season. With the ban in place, trucks will again not be allowed on main roads from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Monday to Saturday. NONIE REYES By Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM & Butch Fernandez @butchfBM
M
ORE than a week before the expiration of the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2), the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) reported that it has so far released a total of P105.775 billion.
Broken down, the DBM has disbursed 73.24 percent or a total of P102.53 billion of the P140-billion allocation under Bayanihan 2, according to the status of Covid-19 fund releases reported by DBM as of December 11. Meanwhile, the remaining P3.24 billion was charged from regular funds under the 2020 national budget in line with Bayanihan 2. Nonetheless, the two chambers are already planning to extend the validity of appropriations under Bayanihan 2, which is set to expire on December 19. Should there be no extension,
unobligated funds will revert to the Bureau of the Treasury. Apart from the P140 billion in regular appropriations provided under Bayanihan 2, a standby fund of P25 billion was earmarked to cushion the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The budget department has released special allotment release orders (Saros) for Bayanihan 2 to 17 government agencies. Saros are issued by DBM to authorize agencies to incur obligations not exceeding a given amount during a specified period for the purpose indicated.
@caiordinario
EALTH-CONSCIOUS Europeans could be the next top market for Philippine products, such as coconut sugar, pili nuts, and dried fruits, according to a study by the Swiss Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO). The reports also indicated that natural ingredients from the Philippines, which are needed in food, cosmetics, and health products, have high export potential in European markets. T he study aims to help maximize the potential of the free trade agreement between the Philippines and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). “ We are conv inced that the Philippines can find the means, talent, and energy to position the country in the international stage as a supplier of innovative, attractive, and sustainable items especially in the markets of certified and ecological products. I expect to find more Philippine products on our supermarket shelves in the near future,” Swiss Ambassador to the Philippines Alain Gaschen said. Based on the study, the presence of natural sweeteners
in the European market have increased, particularly in the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany and Italy. While natural sweeteners are more expensive, there is a growing number of health-conscious consumers who are always on the look out for alternatives to white sugar. “If producers and exporters invest in organic and/or Fairtrade certification processes, access to premium market segments and grocery stores offering dietetic food is an option for exporters,” the report read. The report stated that nuts are experiencing a resurgence in Europe. The need for alternative sources of healthy fats and proteins are now turning consumers’ attention to hazelnuts, macadamia, cashew, almonds, pistachios, and walnuts. The authors said pili nuts coming from the Philippines have “excellent nutritional characteristics” which make it marketable, even in high-end markets. However, the report indicated that producers, processors, and exporters of pili nuts must strictly follow food safety rules. The products must not be contaminated with pesticides, aflatoxins, mycotoxins, and microbiological alterations. Continued on A2
See “Bayanihan 2,” A2
Amid pandemic, household savings rise slightly By Bianca Cuaresma
F
@BcuaresmaBM
I L IPI NO hou sehold s i n the middle- to high-income group are now able to set aside money for future needs despite the economic disruptions caused by the pandemic, but households in the lower-income group, especially those in the rural areas of the country, are still struggling to save.
This was gleaned from the results of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) survey, which was conducted in October. It showed that Filipino households with savings grew slightly larger from the level seen in the July survey. The percentage of households with savings slightly rose to 25 percent from 24.7 percent. This, however, does not mean all Filipino households are starting to see
PESO exchange rates n US 48.0720
improvement after the peak of the pandemic-induced lockdowns. The BSP traced this slight increase in the number of savers mainly to the higher number of households with savings in the high- and middle-income groups. This more than offset the decline in the number of savers in the lowincome group. The highest income group had the highest leap in savings during
the period, with 46.4 percent of respondents saying they have savings in October. This is a 5-point rise from the 41.1 percent in the previous survey round. The middle-income group was stable: about 27.4 percent of middle- income respondents were able to save during the period, slightly up from the 27.3 percent in the previous survey round. Continued on A2
n japan 0.4622 n UK 64.2675 n HK 6.2019 n CHINA 7.3434 n singapore 35.9793 n australia 36.2751 n EU 58.3594 n SAUDI arabia 12.8175
Source: BSP (December 14, 2020)