
Republic Act (RA) 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act is set to expire on June 25, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque reiterated.
“We maintain that the effectivity of the Bayanihan act is governed by sunset clause of the law. It is effective until June 25, 2020,” Roque said.
Section 9 of RA 11569 provides that the Bayanihan Act takes effect immediately “upon its publication in a newspaper of general circulation or in the Official Gazette” and is in full force and effect “only for three months unless extended by Congress.
This clarification came after some have claimed that the effectivity of the law ceased on June 5.
The Bayanihan law gives Duterte temporary special powers to address the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
Malacañang earlier sought the extension of the law’s effectivity to allow his Duterte’s special powers to be maintained.
The Senate on Wednesday approved on second reading Senate Bill (SB) 1546, which extends Duterte’s special powers until Sept. 30, 2020. Senators, however, failed to pass the measure on third and final reading when the first regular session of the 18th Congress ended on Thursday.
The lack of certification of urgency from Duterte prohibited the Senate from passing SB 1546 immediately on third and final reading.
Without the certification of urgency, lawmakers need now wait for the three-day period between the second and third readings before a bill gets passed.
In the House of Representatives, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez filed House Bill 6811, a similar measure that seeks the extension of Duterte’s special powers for another three months.
The House of Representatives committee of the whole on Wednesday approved the substitute bill extending Duterte’s emergency powers.
Lawmakers will open their second regular session on July 26, but Malacañang has expressed confidence that they will hold a special session during their mandatory recess to discuss the bill extending the temporary special powers granted to Duterte amid the Covid-19 pandemic