1. Reflect on the significant features of RA 11494.

In response to the pressing problems faced by the country, the Senate drafted the Bayanihan to Heal
as One Act (R.A. 11494) to grant the President additional authority to combat against COVID-19 pandemic.
This law authorizes the President “to exercise powers necessary to carry out urgent measure to meet the
current national emergency related to COVID-19 only for 3 months unless extended by the Congress.” This
helps to contain local transmissions of the disease, mobilize assistance of basic necessities to affected
families, undertake measures to manage the healthcare system, implement a social amelioration program to
affected sectors, and partner with private sectors and other stakeholders in the implementation of programs
and measures. Furthermore, the law has authorized the President to exercise powers that are necessary and
proper to carry out the national policy. 
Below are some salient points of Bayanihan to Heal as One Law:

TREATMENT OF COVID-19 PATIENTS

 COVID-19 patients shall undergo compulsory and immediate isolation and treatment:
 Treatment of COVID-19 patients shall be covered under the National Health Insurance Program of the
Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth)

BENEFITS FOR HEALTH WORKERS

 COVID-19 Special Risk Allowance will be given to all public health workers on top of their usual hazard pay
granted under the Magna Carta of Public Health Workers (Republic Act No. 7305)
 PhilHealth coverage for medical expenses of private and public health workers diagnosed with COVID-19
 Compensation for health workers Ᵽ100,000 for those who contracted severe COVID-19 infection while in the
line of duty; and Ᵽ1.000.00 for those who died fighting it.

EMERGENCY SUBSIDY FOR POOR HOUSEHOLDS

 18 million low-income households will receive Ᵽ5,000 to Ᵽ8,000 emergency subsidy for the next 2 months
(based on the regional minimum wage rate and subject to current conditional cash transfer program and rice
subsidy)
 Enhanced Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program (conditional cash transfer) shall be implanted.

30-DAY GRACE PERIOD FOR LOANS AND RENT

 A mandatory 30-day grace period for all loans with principal and/or interest failing due within the Enhanced
Community Quarantine (ECQ) Period (March 17, 2020 – April 12, 2020 as cited Proclamation No. 929 dated
March 16, 2020), without incurring interest on interests, penalties, fees and other chargers.
 Moving the statutory deadline for submission of documents and the payment of taxes, fees, and other
chargers required by the law and the grant of any benefit.
 Ensure availability of credit by lowering the effective lending rates of interest and reserve requirements of
lending institutions.

SUPPORTING MEASURES AGAINST COVID-19

The government may require the operation of:

 Any privately-owned hospitals and medical facilities to house health workers, serve as quarantine areas,
quarantine centers, medical relief and aid distribution locations or other temporary medical facilities:
 Public transportation to ferry health, emergency and frontline personnel, and other persons.
 Business to prioritize and accept contracts for materials and services.
2. Write a comprehensive discussion on the PROS and CONS of this ACT in relation to the government’s effort
to win its battle against COVID-19.

In order to respond effectively against CoVID-19, the Philippine government enacted Bayanihan To Heal
as One Act which grants the President powers to address the dilemma. It is guided by Par (a), Sec. 6 of such
law, which states that the President is encouraged to flatten the curve through education, detection,
protection, and treatment. The powers granted may be classified as: capacity-building, relief, regulation, and
budgetary which individually may have one, some, or all of the aspects combined in order to
achieve Bayanihan (which loosely means community solidarity) holistically.

PUNISHABLE ACTS UNDER BAYANIHAN LAW AND THE PENALTIES THEREFORE

The Bayanihan law provides several acts punishable with imprisonment of 2 months or a fi ne
of  P 10,000.00 to  P 1,000,000.00 or both, at the discreti on of the court:

 Disobedience by LGU officials of national government policies or directives imposing quarantine

 Unjust refusal to operate of owners and possessors of privately-owned hospitals and facilities
 Hoarding, profiteering, injurious speculations, manipulation of prices or other combinations in
restraint or trade, or other pernicious practices affecting the supply, distribution, and movement of
essential commodities
 Refusal to prioritize and accepts contracts for materials and services necessary to address the
COVID-19 crisis on social media and other platforms
 Refusal to provide 30-day grace period
 Spreading or penetrating false information regarding the COVID-19 crisis on social media and other
platforms
 Failure to comply with reasonable limitations on the operation of certain transportation sectors
 Impeding access to roads, streets, and bridges putting up prohibited encroachments or obstacles
and maintenance of illegal constructions in public places that have been ordered to be remove.

POTENTIAL CONS OF THE LAW

BENEFITS OF THE HEALTH WORKERS
 COVID-19 Special Risk Allowance will be given to all public health workers on top of their usual hazard pay
granted under the Magna Carta of Public health Workers (Republic Act No. 7305).
 PhilHealth coverage for medical expenses of private and public health workers who are diagnosed to have
COVID-19.
 P100,000 compensation for health workers who contracted severe COVID-19 infection while in the line of
duty, which has retroactive application from 1 February 2020.
 P1,000.000 compensation to those who died fighting the COVID-19 infection, also beginning retroactively
from 1 February 2020.

BENEFITS THAT PUBLIC WILL RECEIVE UNDER THE LAW

 The law provides that 18 million families from low-income households shall receive an emergency subsidy of
a minimum of P5,000 to a maximum of P8,000 for the next two (2) months based on the prevailing regional
minimum wage rate, subject to the current conditional cash transfer (CCT) program and rice subsidy that
they are already receiving.
 An enhanced Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program will be implemented responsive to the need posed by the
crisis.
 BENEFITS OF THE PRODUCTIVE SECTOR UNDER THE LAW

 A mandatory 30-day grace period for all loans with principal and/or interest falling due within the Enhanced
Community Quarantine (ECQ) Period (March 17, 2020 - April 12, 2020 as cited in Proclamation No. 929 dated
16 March 2020), without incurring interest on interests, penalties, fees, and other charges.
 A minimum of 30-day grace period for the payment of residential rent falling due within the ECQ period,
without incurring any interest and fees.
 Moving the statutory deadline for the submission of documents, and the payment of taxes, fees, and other
charges required by law, and the grant of any benefit.
 Ensure availability of credit by lowering the effective lending rates of interest and reserve requirements of
lending institutions

SALIENT POINTS OF THE BILL

 Authorizes President to expedite and streamline accreditation of testing kits and facilitate prompt testing
 Ensures that all Local Government Units (LGUs) are acting in line with the rules issued by the national
government; 
 Continue to enforce measures to protect the people from hoarding, profiteering, injurious speculations,
manipulation of prices, product deceptions, and cartels; 
 Prioritize the allocation and distribution of medical supplies to coronavirus-referral hospitals, public and
private laboratories, and health facilities that have capacities to test and care for suspected Covid-19
patients.
 Liberalize the grant of incentives for the manufacture or importation of critical or needed equipment or
supplies;