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Eighteenth Congress of The) Republic of The Philippines) ) Senate S. No. 1418
Eighteenth Congress of The) Republic of The Philippines) ) Senate S. No. 1418
SENATE
S. No. 1418
42020, was issued declaring a State of Public Health Emergency throughout the
5Philippines due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the Code Alert
6System for COVID-19 was raised to Code Red Sublevel Two (2) in accordance with
7the recommendation of the Department of Health (DOH) and the Inter-Agency Task
9Proclamation No. 929, s. 2020, was issued declaring a State of Calamity throughout
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1 In view of the continuing rise of confirmed cases of COVID-19, the serious
2threat to the health, safety, security, and lives of our countrymen, the long-term
3adverse effects on their means of livelihood, and the severe disruption of economic
4activities, a state of national emergency is hereby declared over the entire country.
6nations worldwide, including the Philippines, and has caused and is continuing to
7cause loss of lives and disruption to the economy. Thus, there is an urgent need to:
8(1) mitigate, if not contain, the transmission of COVID-19; (2) immediately mobilize
10the imposition of Community Quarantine, especially indigents and their families; (3)
11undertake measures that will prevent the overburdening of the healthcare system;
12(4) immediately and amply provide healthcare, including medical tests and
14under monitoring (PUMs); (5) undertake a program for recovery and rehabilitation,
15including a social amelioration program and provision of safety nets to all affected
16sectors; (6) ensure that there is sufficient, adequate and readily available funding to
17undertake the foregoing; (7) partner with the private sector and other stakeholders
18to deliver these measures and programs quickly and efficiently; and (8) promote and
19protect the collective interests of all Filipinos in these challenging times. By reason
20thereof, and in order to optimize the efforts of the President to carry out the tasks
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1necessary and proper to carry out the declared national policy. The President shall
2have the power to adopt the following temporary emergency measures to respond
4 (1) Following World Health Organization guidelines and best practices, adopt
7 (2) Expedite and streamline the accreditation of testing kits and facilitate
8prompt testing by public and designated private institutions of PUIs and PUMs, and
9the compulsory and immediate isolation and treatment of patients: Provided, That
10the cost of treatment for COVID-19 patients shall be covered under the National
18received from the current conditional cash transfer program and rice
21 (4) Ensure that all public health workers are protected by providing
23pay granted under the Magna Carta of the Public Health Workers or
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1 (5) Direct the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) to
2shoulder all medical expenses of public and private health workers in case
9to public and private health workers, who may die while fighting the
12 (7) Ensure that all Local Government Units (LGUs) are acting within the letter
13and spirit of all the rules, regulations and directives issued by the National
15quarantine consistent with what the National Government has laid down for the
16subject area, while allowing LGUs to continue exercising their autonomy in matters
17undefined by the National Government or are within the parameters it has set; and
18are fully cooperating towards a unified, cohesive and orderly implementation of the
19national policy to address COVID-19: Provided, That all LGUs shall be authorized to
20utilize more than five percent (5%) of the amount allocated for their calamity fund
22 (8) Consistent with Section 17, Article XII of the constitution, when the public
24medical and health facilities including passenger vessels and, other establishments,
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1to house health workers, serve as quarantine areas, quarantine centers, medical
2relief and aid distribution locations, or other temporary medical facilities; and public
4persons; Provided, however, That the management and operation of the foregoing
5enterprises shall be retained by the owners of the enterprise, who shall render a full
7the utility or business as basis for appropriate compensation; Provided, further, That
8reasonable compensation for any additional damage or costs incurred by the owner
9or the possessor of the subject property solely on account of complying with the
10directive shall be given to the person entitled to the possession of such private
11properties or businesses after the situation has stabilized or at the soonest time
13signify that they are no longer capable of operating their enterprises for the purpose
14stated herein, the President may take over their operations subject to the limits and
19 practices affecting the supply, distribution and movement of food, clothing, hygiene
20 and sanitation products, medicine and medical supplies, fuel, fertilizers, chemicals,
22 agriculture, industry and other essential services, and other articles of prime
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1 (10) Ensure that donation, acceptance and distribution of health products
2intended to address the COVID-19 public health emergency are not unnecessarily
3delayed and that health products for donation duly certified by the regulatory agency
4or their accredited third party from countries with established regulation shall
5automatically be cleared: Provided, this shall not apply to health products which do
7 (11) Undertake the procurement of the following as the need arises, in the
8most expeditious manner, as exemptions from the provisions of Republic Act No.
99184 or the “Government Procurement Reform Act” and other relevant laws:
11gloves, gowns, masks, goggles, face shields; surgical equipment and supplies;
12laboratory equipment and its reagents; medical equipment and devices; support and
14supplies; medical supplies, tools, and consumables such as alcohol, sanitizers, tissue,
17mefenamic acid, vitamins tablet and suspension, hyoscine tablet and suspension,
18oral rehydration solution, and cetirizine tablet and suspension); testing kits, and such
19other supplies or equipment as may be determined by the DOH and other relevant
20government agencies: Provided, That the DOH shall prioritize the allocation and
21distribution of the aforesaid goods, supplies and other resources to the following:
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1General Hospital, Lung Center of the Philippines, and Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial
2Hospital;
3 2. Private hospitals which have existing capacities to provide support care and
5 3. Public and private laboratories that have existing capacities to test suspected
6COVID-19 patients.
7 (b) Goods and services for social amelioration measures in favour of affected
8communities;
9 (c) Lease of real property or venue for use to house health workers or serve as
11medical facilities;
14operation of quarantine centers, medical relief and aid distribution centers and
17 (12) Partner with the Philippine Red Cross, as the primary humanitarian agency
20against COVID-19;
21 (13) Engage temporary Human Resources for Health (HRH) such as medical
22and allied medical staff to complement or supplement the current health workforce
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1Section 4 7(d) of this Act: Provided, That HRH to be hired on temporary basis shall
2receive the appropriate compensation and allowances: Provided, further, That all
3HRH serving in the front line during the state of calamity due to COVID-19, shall
6economy especially in the countryside through measures such as, but not
7limited to, lowering the effective lending rates of interest and reserve
10 critical or needed equipment or supplies for the carrying-out of the policy declared
12 these equipment and supplies shall be exempt from import duties, taxes and other
13 fees;
14 (16) Ensure the availability of essential goods, in particular food and medicine,
16disruption to the supply chain, especially for basic commodities and services to the
18 (16) Require businesses to prioritize and accept contracts, subject to fair and
19reasonable terms, for materials and services necessary to promote the herein
21 (17) Regulate and limit the operation of all sectors of transportation through
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1 (18) Regulate traffic on all roads, streets, and bridges, and access thereto;
3encroachments and illegal constructions in public places; and perform all other
4related acts;
8sector;
9 (20) Conserve and regulate the distribution and use of power, fuel, energy and
14FYs 2019 and 2020 General Appropriations Act (GAA), whether released or
15unreleased, the allotments for which remain unobligated, and utilize the savings
16generated therefrom to augment the allocation for any item directly related to
18order to address the COVID-19 emergency, consistent with the herein declared
19national policy: Provided, however, That the following items in the budget
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1control of other infectious diseases; emergency preparedness and response; quick
2response fund;
3 (b) Under the University of the Philippines - the operational budget of the
6 (d) Programs of the Department of Labor and Employment, such as but not
9 (e) Under the Department of Trade and Industry - Livelihood Seeding Program
12Program;
19 (i) Quick Response Funds lodged in the various relevant departments, such as,
22project may be revived at any time after the national emergency has ceased, and
24Act of 2020”, may be revived and proposed for funding within the next two (2) fiscal
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1years;
4 purpose abandoned for the duration of the State of Emergency. All such unspent,
6 including future collections and receipts, shall be utilized and are hereby
7 appropriated for such measures to address the COVID-19 situation and accomplish
10realign from savings on other items of appropriations in the FY 2020 GAA in the
12address and respond to the COVID-19 emergency, including social amelioration for
13affected communities, and the recovery of areas, sectors and industries severely
19 subsidies and transfers, held by any GOCC or any national government agency in
21 (25) Move statutory deadlines and timelines for the filing and submission of
22 any document, the payment of taxes, fees, and other charges required
23 by law, and the grant of any benefit, in order to ease the burden on
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1 (26) Direct all banks, quasi-banks, financing companies, lending
12 (27) Provide for a minimum of thirty (30) day grace period on residential
15 charges;
17Pilipino Program, responsive to the need posed by the crisis, and provision
23households working in the informal economy and those who are not
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1an amount adequate to restore capacity to purchase basic food and other
2essential items during the duration of the quarantine. To carry out this
3subsection, the secretary of the department of social welfare and development and
4the secretary of the department of labor and employment may approve the
7 (29) Lift the thirty percent (30%) cap on the amount appropriated for the
8quick response fund, as provided for in Republic Act No. 10121 or the "Philippine
9Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010", during the existence of the
12enable the President to carry out the declared national policy subject to the Bill of
15President, during Monday of every week, shall submit a weekly report to Congress of
16all acts performed pursuant to this Act during the immediately preceding week. The
17report shall likewise include the amount and corresponding utilization of the funds
19 For this purpose, the Congress shall establish a Joint Congressional Oversight
21Senate President and the House Speaker, respectively. This Committee shall
22determine whether such acts, orders, rules and regulations are within the restrictions
23provided herein.
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1 SEC. 6. Penalties. - In addition to acts or omissions already penalized by
2existing laws, the following offenses shall be punishable with imprisonment of two
3(2) months or a fine of not less than Ten Thousand Pesos but not more than One
4Million Pesos, or both such imprisonment and fine, at the discretion of the court:
6imposing quarantines;
12restraint of trade, or other pernicious practices affecting the supply, distribution and
13movement of food, clothing, hygiene and sanitation products, medicine and medical
15equipment and spare parts required in agriculture, industry and other essential
16services, and other articles of prime necessity, whether imported or locally produced
17or manufactured;
22information regarding the covid-19 crisis on social media and other platforms, such
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1information having no valid or beneficial effect on the population, and are clearly
2geared to promote chaos, panic, anarchy, fear, or confusion; and those participating
3in cyber incidents that make use or take advantage of the current crisis situation to
4prey on the public through scams, phishing, fraudulent emails, or other similar acts;
7public; and
12partnership or any other juridical person, the penalty shall be imposed upon the
13president, directors, managers, managing partners, as the case may be, who
14participated in the commission of the offense or who shall have knowingly permitted
15or failed to prevent the commission of the same. If the offender is an alien, he shall,
18he shall, in addition to the penalties prescribed herein, suffer perpetual or temporary
22case the exercise of the powers herein granted conflicts with other statutes, orders,
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1 SEC. 8. Separability. - If any provision of this Act or the application of such
2provision to any person or circumstance is declared invalid, the remainder of this Act
3or the application of such provision to any other person or circumstances shall not
5 SEC. 9. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect immediately upon its publication in
6a newspaper of general circulation or in the Official Gazette and shall be in full force
7and effect only for three (3) months, unless extended by Congress: Provided, That
8the powers granted under this Act may be withdrawn sooner by means of a
Approved,
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