COVID-19 Updates: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte Press Briefing | August 25, 2020

August 25, 2020

As of August 25, 2020, 9:00 AM, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte addressed the nation through a recorded speech to provide updates on the COVID-19 situation. Below are the highlights of the briefing:

• PRRD opened his address by saying that they are looking into different strategies to address the pandemic.
• On the COVID-19 funds, PRRD assured the public that misplaced funds will be recovered and given to their intended recipients.
• PRRD tasked the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to prepare a report of how the COVID-19 funds were used.
• PRRD mentioned that PhilHealth should be investigated and prosecuted, and will use the remainder of his term as president to look into the people involved in this corruption scandal.
• On the Bayanihan funds, he asked the public to let the government do its job when it comes to spending and will have a specific time to do the necessary accounting alongside the IATF and other appointed officials.
• Due to the transparency issue caused by PhilHealth, PRRD tasked the different government departments to provide a breakdown of their monthly spending to ensure transparency.
• On Vice President Leni Robredo’s recent address, PRRD asked to not add fuel to the fire, as it will not help address the ongoing problems.
• In his different meetings, PRRD shared that the biggest challenge to the government is the lack of funds to manage the current crisis.
  • He reiterated the importance of spending wisely and correctly to address the current challenges.
  • PRRD said that he will make sure that as long as the Task Force is with him, he has no doubts about corruption.
• PRRD urged Congress to implement all safety measures needed to avoid discrepancies and mishaps in the disbursement of the budgets and ensure that proper benefits are received by the people.
• PRRD said everyone must participate to prevent corruption in government.
• Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Sonny Dominguez shared updates on the Small Business Wage Subsidy (SBWS) Program implemented during the pandemic.
  • Sec. Dominguez enumerated factors that contributed to the success of the program as well as how future programs must be designed:
    • All programs should be digitized to ensure transparency since no physical cash is being handled.
    • Direct distribution of aid should be done through banks or e-wallets.
    • Closed administration oversight of the critical steps of the program.
  • Sec. Dominguez also mentioned lessons they learned for effective implementation.
    • Setting specific timelines and milestones.
    • Officials of the Social Security System (SSS), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), and DOF met two to three times a day to ensure that system fully works.
    • Bringing in experts from the private sector (Microsoft and UnionBank) to provide management assistance. Management of every situation is crucial to better address potential challenges.
• Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Menardo Guevarra reported all the component agencies of the Task Force including independent constitutional bodies have been cooperative in the discharge of functions as well as the search for solutions.
  • Requested the component agencies to expedite the ongoing investigations or special audits that are already pending with them with regards to PhilHealth officials.
    • The Office of the Ombudsman has already suspended 13 key Philhealth officials for cases that have been filed, even prior to the creation of the Task Force.
    • The Task Force has been conducting its own investigation and has zeroed in on centers of fraud including:
      • IT system of PhilHealth.
      • The legal sector as it is one of the biggest sources of wealth based on their investigations.
      • Interim reimbursement mechanism (IRM).
      • Financial management as it has many irregularities, even in the past.
    • Composite things to follow through the information gathered through the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Commission on Audit (COA) auditors, Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), and Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), DOJ will be investigating irregularities and lifestyles of PhilHealth officials.
    • Ultimate objective is to file a legal case in the Office of the Ombudsman and use reports from the Senate and House in the process.
  • DOJ hopes to provide recommendations over the course of the investigation.
    • The Governance Commission for Government-owned and controlled operations (GCG) will be able to make proposals for the reorganization of PhilHealth and creating an interim management committee.
  • DOJ hopes that the job of the Task Force will help Congress in crafting new legislation to strengthen PhilHealth and be more responsive to the people.
  • Sec. Dominguez mentioned how the Bureau of Customs (BOC) has improved its operations by integrating technology to streamline processes and ensure transparency through e-governance.
• Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Eduardo Año presented the breakdown of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) that was rolled out during the pandemic.
  • SAP had a total budget Php 207.6B:
    • Php 197B by the DBM, which was sent in tranches on April 2, 16, and June 24.
    • Php 10.6B, which was from the DSWD to support the budgetary requirements of SAP.
    • DSWD and its partners have been working hard to ensure the smooth and proper distribution of the funds.
• Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III implemented three major programs for the formal and informal sectors and the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).
  • Sec. Bello shared that they had total funding of Php 12.4B:
    • Php 4.8B from the DOLE 2020 budget.
    • Php 2.5B from Bayanihan Heal As One Act 1.
    • Php 5B from the repatriation funds of the government.
• The DOLE COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program (CAMP) was a safety net that provides a one-time financial assistance for those in the formal sector regardless of the status of employment.
  • Total Budget of Php 3.311B sourced from DOLE’s regular budget funds and benefited 662,213 workers in the formal sector, being fully utilized by June 2020.
  • Applicants amounted to 1.6M from 60,000 establishments. However, close to 1M workers have not been served. This was shared with the DOF and SSS for the SBWS Program, which benefitted 183,000 CAMP applicants.
• Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary William Dar reported that the agricultural sector grew by 1.6% in spite of the pandemic.
• PRRD reiterated that the government will be doing an audit of the funds allocated for the pandemic. Sec. Guevarra is currently heading the investigation of PhilHealth while Congress is investigating other reported cases of corruption.
  • He mentioned that the Bayanihan 1 and 2 funds are free of corruption as the people tasked to handle it are not corrupt. They are headed by Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Sec. Año, and National Task Force Chief Implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez.
• PRRD mentioned that there are already existing medicines to treat COVID-19. As for the creation of a vaccine, China and Russia are almost done and they are willing to provide help to the Philippines.
  • The first to receive the vaccine are those in the marginalized sector starting with the ones under the Pantawid Program followed by those unaccounted for but still part of the sector.
  • Next is the military and the police force.
  • As for the government, PRRD volunteers to get it first to boost confidence or even the last to prioritize others.

DOH Advisory

As of August 24, 2020, 4:00 PM, the Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 194,252 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 59,200 of which are active cases. Recoveries have been recorded to reach 132,042 while the local death toll has reached 3,010. Overall, the DOH also reported to have tested 2,175,499 individuals.

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For consultations, you may reach the DOH via hotline: ​(02) 894 – COVID (26843) ​or​ 1555 ​(for PLDT, Smart, Sun, and TNT subscriber)

For announcements and public advisories, you may visit the following official DOH channels:

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