Summary of the LGU-relevant updates from the President's eighth report on the Bayanihan Act

Here's a summary of the LGU-relevant updates from the President's eighth report on the Bayanihan Act published on 18 May 2020:

HEALTH

▪️ The GSIS allocated PhP 8 million to extend financial assistance to various LIGTAS COVID Centers in the country.

▪️ The DOH has a total of 34 testing laboratories and hospitals. 71 laboratories are still being evaluated by the DOH. The Lung Center of the Philippines, Zamboanga Medical Center, Cagayan Valley TB Reference Laboratory, Northern Mindanao Medical Center, and Ospital ng Palawan are now licensed to operate using GeneXpert Cepheid testing kits.

SOCIAL WELFARE AND EDUCATION

▪️ The DSWD has provided services for COVID-related concerns, such as requests for medical or burial assistance, to 53,391 clients.

▪️ 905,901 indigent senior citizens have received their social pensions for the first semester of 2020.

▪️ CHED has requested NTC for zero-rated internet access to online repositories of educational resources to facilitate the access of higher education students to education resources in their own time and facilitate the shift to flexible learning.

MONITORING SYSTEMS

▪️ PSA is fast-tracking the full implementation of the Philippine Identification System or the National ID to improve future targeting and distribution of financial assistance to poor and low-income households. The PSA targets to safely register at least 5 million heads from low-income households by December 2020.

▪️ PIDS is crafting the implementing rules and regulations for the accelerated nationwide implementation of the Community-based Monitoring System (CBMS).

BALIK PROBINSYA

▪️ The DOST Settlements Model of PLANADES will be launched on 29 May 2020 in support of the Balik Probinsya Program. It will provide a tool for estimating new housing requirements in suitable areas and an estimation of projected housing finance requirements in the new growth areas

▪️ The model will allow LGUs to forecast or simulate future urban expansion and land uses at the LGU level and can be integrated into the local planning process.

SUPPORT TO BUSINESSES AND AGRICULTURE

▪️ The DTI will disseminate social cards providing for guidelines on the operation of malls and shopping centers under GCQ, lifting of price freeze and implementation of SRPs and price freeze in sari-sari and convenience stores

▪️ The DA launched e-KADIWA to allow consumers to order fruits and vegetables online to be delivered by partner applications such as Grab.

TOURISM

▪️ The DOT will review the maximum capacity of each tourist destination given the current circumstances and has crafted guidelines for the proposed new normal in tourism.

COMPLIANCE OF LGUs

▪️ The efforts of LGUs have been commended in providing relief assistance ranging from food products, hygiene kits, masks, alcohol, etc. amounting to PhP 10,875,045,594.73.

▪️ 43 mayors have been issued show cause orders by the DILG to explain their poor/slow distribution of the financial aid. 183 barangay officials were investigated by the PNP for alleged anomalies on SAP distribution

▪️ 36,699 barangays have complied with the directive of the DILG to post list of SAPs beneficiaries in a visible place in their barangays and in their websites

▪️ 74 provinces, 134 cities, 1346 municipalities, and 32,396 barangays have been found compliant with the ECQ guidelines.

RESPONSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE RECOVERY PLAN

▪️ NEDA is spearheading the discussions on formulating an economic recovery program to cover the period after the lifting of the community quarantine until the end of 2020 as well as an economic resiliency plan to be implemented in 2021. The Regional Recovery Programs clearly define the role of LGUs in the recovery process and provide a brief description of the nature of LGU activities under each sector.