Senatorial aspirant and Taguig City Rep. former Alan Peter Cayetano has committed to prioritize the passage of a “Relief, Reform, Recovery” bill if elected in the May 9 polls.
“The issues that we are currently facing are complicated. That’s why we also need extraordinary solutions,” Cayetano told a radio interview as he acknowledged the need for concrete solutions to recent fuel price hikes amid the pandemic.
Cayetano said his “Relief, Reform, Recovery” program resembles the United States’ response to the Great Depression, a period that saw a severe economic recession during the 1930s.
He said the relief program aims to distribute direct financial incentives and subsidies to Filipino families, especially those coming from the affected sectors.
“One example of a relief program is the Sampung Libong Ayuda. We were able to implement it during Bayanihan 1, where money was distributed in two segments of P5,000 each. Now, each government agency just needs to provide five percent of their savings through a directive from the Malacañang for us to allocate P250 billion in aid,” he said.
Meanwhile, the reform program seeks to implement permanent changes to the current system which Cayetano dubbed as inefficient and ineffective for the Filipino people.
He pointed to reforms initiated in the Social Security System (SSS) and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) by President Rodrigo Duterte that have been beneficial to the people.
“Another example of a reform is the one that they did to the Social Security System and the Government Service Insurance System, where Filipinos can now receive a larger amount when they lose their jobs,” Cayetano said.
But while there are programs like this, the former House Speaker said the government lacks a comprehensive aid system to help Filipinos during crises.
Up to now, the government still does not have a list of fuel subsidy grantees considering that the transportation sector has always been a recipient of pandemic aid.
Cayetano added he wants to facilitate economic recovery by implementing programs for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as well as agriculture.
He said the government can give interest-free or low-interest loans to MSMEs and farmers, with the payables depending on the duration and principal amount.
“More than 50 percent of jobs in the country come from agriculture and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises,” he said.