Two congressmen who survived COVID-19 have filed a bill that aims to allot part of the Malampaya funds, as well as other public-private partnerships (PPP) to improve the quality of the country’s public healthcare system.
1-PACMAN Rep. Eric Pineda and Manila Teachers Rep. Virgilio Lacson filed House Bill 7800, which seeks to amend Presidential Decree 910, and thereby, channel government-generated funds from the revenues of PPPs like Malampaya into public health-related projects.
Lacson, chairman of the House Committee on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development, estimated the Malampaya funds to be at Php23 billion, based on its reported annual generated revenue of Php1 billion.
Pineda added that the government wouldn’t need to borrow more money, whether domestically or internationally, to address the pandemic should the Malampaya funds be made available.
Health Usec. Ma. Rosario Vergeire supports the proposed measure, saying it will increase her department’s budget, enabling it to build more healthcare facilities.
Pineda and Lacson hope that the measure would be enacted by year’s end.
