The National Capital Region (NCR) was placed on enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) on August 6-20, 2021, and consequently on its fourth lockdown in a period of one and a half years. Other key cities on ECQ in August were Cebu, Iloilo, and Cagayan de Oro, while many provinces such as Laguna, Ilocos Sur, Negros Oriental, and Davao were placed on general community quarantine (GCQ) with heightened restrictions.
The stricter status of quarantine was enforced by the government once more owing to the rising COVID-19 cases, and the compelling threat of the more transmissible Delta variant. With more restrictions in these areas, many businesses and other establishments had to close (again) and face opportunity losses, depriving workers of their jobs and disallowing particularly the daily wage earners to secure incomes for two straight weeks. To compensate for the loss of jobs, livelihood and income, government’s ayuda (cash aid) becomes all the more crucial for poor families in terms of availability and promptness in distribution. Unfortunately, the laws providing for cash assistance and social amelioration (Bayanihan 1 and 2) expired on June 30, 2021, and the ayuda provided came late. In NCR, for instance, the funds for cash assistance were approved and released by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) exactly on August 6, the first day of lockdown. The cash aid was then distributed by the local government units (LGUs) five days later, extending even until the last day of August.
Amidst the debilitating lockdown, and with COVID-19 cases continuing to rise at unprecedented levels, the country was jolted by a series of news on the findings of the Commission on Audit (COA) regarding questionable and unnecessary spending and gross underspending by certain government offices. Most striking among these agencies is the Department of Health (DOH) which is at the forefront of the fight against the pandemic.
The data presented in this issue of the Intersect Quick Facts aims to inform about the quality of the government’s response to the COVID-19 crisis, particularly on budget allocations and use. Prudent and exigent measures in budget allocation and use by the government, and vigilance of the citizenry on the government’s use of funds to demand transparency and exact accountability are critical if we, as one nation, are to get out of this crisis soon.
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Sa ikaapat na pagkakataon, isinailalim ang Metro Manila sa enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) noong Agosto 6-20, 2021. Kasabay nito, ipinatupad din ang ECQ sa mga siyudad ng Cebu, Iloilo, at Cagayan de Oro. Samantala, inilagay naman sa general community quarantine (GCQ) with heightened restrictions ang maraming probinsya katulad ng Laguna, Ilocos Sur, Negros Oriental, at Davao.
Ipinatupad ng pamahalaan ang mas mahigpit ng quarantine dahil sa muling pagtaas ng mga kaso ng COVID-19 sa bansa at sa banta ng mas nakahahawang Delta variant. Dala ng mga karagdagang paghihigpit sa mga nabanggit na lugar, maraming negosyo at establisyemento ang (muling) nagsara at humarap sa pagkalugi, at nauwi ito sa kawalan ng kabuhayan, lalo na sa mga arawan ang kita, sa loob ng dalawang linggo. Dahil sa kawalan ng trabaho, kabuhayan at kita, tumindi ang pangangailangan ng mahihirap na pamilya sa sapat at napapanahong ayuda mula sa pamahalaan. Sa kasamaang palad, ang mga batas na nagtatakda ng tulong pinansyal at social amelioration (Bayanihan 1 and 2) ay napasó noong Hunyo 30, 2021, at huli ring natanggap ng mga pamilya ang ayuda.
Sa gitna ng matinding lockdown at napakabilis na pagtaas ng mga kaso ng COVID-19 sa bansa, nagulantang ang taumbayan sa sunud-sunod na mga balita tungkol sa natuklasan ng Commission on Audit (COA) na mga kaduda-duda at hindi kinakailangang paggastos, at kulang na paggasta sa mga dapat pagkagastusan ng ilang ahensya ng pamahalaan. Pinakamatunog sa mga ahensyang ito ay ang Department of Health (DOH) na nangunguna sa paglaban sa pandemya.
Layunin ng mga datos sa isyung ito ng Intersect Quick Facts na ipaalam ang kalidad ng tugon ng pamahaalan sa krisis ng COVID-19, partikular sa alokasyon at paggastos sa pondo ng bayan. Ang responsable at masinop na paglalaan at paggamit ng gobyerno ng badyet nito, gayundin ang maingat na pagbabantay ng taumbayan upang tiyaking bukás at mapananagot ang ating mga lider ay mahalaga kung tayo ay aahon bilang isang bayan mula sa kinasasadlakan nating krisis sa lalong madaling panahon.