With a little over a month to go before the expiration of the Bayanihan 2 funds, Sen. Grace Poe yesterday reminded agencies to act expeditiously and utilize their respective allocation aimed at helping Filipinos cope with the impact of the pandemic.
Congress extended the validity of the unspent money under the P140-billion Bayanihan 2 funds up to June 30 this year.
The unused amount of around P110 billion under the 2020 General Appropriations Act will also remain accessible until Dec. 31, 2021.
“Failure to fully utilize these funds by the deadlines will revert the money to the National Treasury,” said Poe.
“The cash aid and bag of groceries are needed, but will never be enough to sustain our people. Government programs must make opportunities for them to be productive and earn income again,” she added.
She said the national budget and the Bayanihan funds should act as stimulus funds for economic recovery.
“They should be felt by the people, especially in areas badly-hit by the pandemic,” the senator said.
“Every peso correctly allocated to a program means opportunities for people to go back to work, to earn income and to spend for their families. This is what the country’s economic resilience should mean.”
The senator pressed concerned government agencies to accelerate spending to stir economic activity and create jobs to shore up the economy crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic.