REPUBLIC ACT NO.

11494

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR COVID-19 RESPONSE AND

RECOVERY INTERVENTIONS AND PROVIDING
MECHANISMS TO ACCELERATE THE RECOVERY AND
BOLSTER THE RESILIENCY OF THE PHILIPPINE
ECONOMY, PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES
Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known and
cited as "Bayanihan to Recover As One Act".

Section 2. State of National Emergency

• Thus, Republic Act No. 11469 or the "Bayanihan to Heal as
One Act" was enacted declaring a state of national
emergency over the entire country to control the spread of
the disease. However, the rise of confirmed cases of
COVID-19, and the serious threat to the health, safety,
security, and lives of our countrymen persist.
Section 3. Declaration of Policy.
• Promote a just and dynamic social order to ensure prosperity,
independence, and improved quality of life for all.

a) Reduce the adverse impact of COVID-19 on the socioeconomic well-

being of all Filipinos through the provision of assistance, subsidies,
and other forms of socioeconomic relief

b) To update, and validate existing records, through the Department of

Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in coordination with the
Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious
Diseases (IATF-EID) and the Philippine Statistics Authority including
local government units (LGUs)

c) Sustain efforts to test, trace, isolate, and treat COVID-19 cases to

mitigate the transmission of the disease and prevent further loss of
d) Enhance the capacity of the Philippine health care system to
eliminate, prevent, and control disease outbreaks and pandemics and
mitigate the effects of other health or life-threatening concerns by
ensuring budgetary support for health care

e) Mitigate the economic cost and losses stemming from the COVID-19
pandemic

f) Restore public trust and confidence on social and economic

institutions

g) Accelerate the recovery and bolster the resilience of the Philippine

economy through measures grounded on economic inclusivity, and
collective growth through fiscal sustainability
h) Accommodate alternative modes of transportation, including a network
of bicycle lanes in all roads in every city, municipality, and province for
the people who may opt to use the bicycle as an alternative mode of
transportation to address health, environment, and traffic concerns

i) Promote and protect the collective interests of all Filipinos in these

challenging times

j) Optimize the use of science, technology, and innovation in

government's response measures;

k) Enhance public trust in science and technology and incorporate the use
of scientific research and technological expertise in the policy-making
process; and
Section 4. The President is hereby authorized to exercise
powers that are necessary and proper to undertake and
implement the following COVID-19 response and recovery
interventions
a) Prevention and suppression of COVID-19 through education,
detection, protection, and treatment.

b) COVID-19 patients will have their testing and treatment costs

covered by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation's
National Health Insurance Program (PhilHealth). Contact tracers
will include displaced workers, barangay health workers, parent-
leaders from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps),
and members of duly accredited Civil Society Organizations.
The DILG will issue rules and regulations for recruitment,
training, and compensation.
• Provide an emergency subsidy of P5.000.00 to 8,000.00 to
affected low-income households in areas under granular lockdown
and OFWs with recently returned overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
The subsidy will be calculated using the current regional minimum
wage rates, as well as the current Conditional Cash Transfer
Program and rice subsidy. To expedite the distribution of the
subsidy, the vetting and validation of SAP beneficiaries, as well as
the associated liquidation report, will be simplified.

• Assistance for five thousand pesos (P5,000.00) to eight thousand

pesos (P8,000.00) for unemployment or forced separation for
displaced workers or employees as a result of COVID-19, including
probationary, project, seasonal, contractual, and casual employees
in private health institutions, culture and the arts, creative
industries, including, but not limited to, film and audiovisual
workers, broadcast, construction, public transportation, trade and
Section 5. Exemption from Tax of Retirement Benefits
Retirement benefits from June 5, 2020 until December
31, 2020 must be excluded from gross income and
subject to appropriate taxes, and any person who
willfully evades or defeats any imposable tax will be
criminally liable and penalized.

Section 6. Tax on the safekeeping, bartering, or

exchange of shares of stock listed and traded through
an initial public offering. - Section 127(B) of the
National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended,
is hereby repealed.
Section 7. National Referral System
• The DOH and the Philippine Red Cross shall
establish a COVID-19 National Referral System
to provide patients with a quick and efficient
way to locate and use the services of hospitals,
clinics, isolation centers, other health facilities,
blood banks, convalescent plasma facilities, and
ambulance systems: Provided, however, that
this section shall remain in effect even after the
Act expires.
Section 8. Non-Discrimination

• Penalties for COVID-19 acts include

imprisonment of 6 months and a fine of
P100,000.00 for unjust distinction, exclusion,
restriction, physical, psychological harm or
suffering, intimidation, harassment, damage
to property, public ridicule or humiliation,
verbal abuse, arbitrary ejectment from
dwelling, or unlawful deprivation of liberty.
Section 9. Authority to Direct the Operation of
Private Establishments During the Effectivity of this
Act

• The Act directs the operation of privately-owned hospitals

and medical and health facilities to house health workers,
quarantine areas, quarantine centers, medical relief and
aid distribution locations, and public transportation to
ferry health, emergency, and frontline personnel and
other persons. Compensation for damage or costs
incurred due to complying with the directive must be
given to the person entitled to the possession after the
situation has stabilized.
Section 10. Appropriations and Standby Fund
The funds raised under Section 4 will be used to respond and
recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

a) Thirteen billion five hundred million pesos (P13,500,000,000.00) for

the following health-related responses:

• The state of national emergency declared by the President includes

continuous employment of existing emergency HRH and additional
emergency HRH, augmentation of DOH Hospitals, special risk
allowance for public and private health workers, hazard duty pay for
all health workers, free life insurance, accommodation, transportation
and meals, and compensation for those who may contract COVID-19
infection and die while fighting the pandemic.
b) Three billion pesos (P3,000,000,000.00) to provide
protection to local health workers, barangay officials, and
other indigent persons to prevent COVID-19.
c) P4,500,000,000.00 to finance medical facilities, field
hospitals, dormitories, and government hospital capacity.
d) Thirteen billion pesos (P13,000,000,000.00) for the
implementation of the following
• Cash-for-work programs for displaced workers in response to
COVID-19 pandemic.
• Unemployment or involuntary separation assistance for
displaced workers or employees, freelancers, and OFWs.
Section 11. Sources of Funding
All other COVTD-19 pandemic response measures, including the
aforementioned subsidy and stimulus measures, shall be supported from
the sources listed below.

a) Funding for authorized programs and projects must come from unprogrammed funds
and savings from operational expense allocations.

b) Savings gathered in accordance with Section 4 (pp), (qq), (rr), (ss), (sss), and (ttt) of
this Act and Republic Act No. 11469;
c) The FY 2020 Budget of Expenditures and Sources of Finance provides for excess
revenue collections in any one of the designated tax or non-tax revenue sources from
its corresponding revenue collection objective.
d) New revenue collections or those arising from new tax or non-tax sources which are
not part of nor included in the original sources included in the FY 2020 BESF
e) All amounts derived from the cash, funds, and investments held by any GOCC or any
national government agency
f) Amounts derived from the 5% franchise tax on gross bets or
turnovers, or the agreed pre-determined minimum monthly
revenues from gaming operations, whichever is greater, earned by
offshore gaming licensees, including gaming operators, gaming
agents, service providers, and gaming support providers

g) Income tax, VAT, and other applicable taxes on income from non-
gaming operations earned by offshore gaming licensees, operators,
agents, service providers and support providers.
Section 12. Procurement of COVID-19 Drugs and
Vaccine
• In this Act shall prevent private entities from conducting
research, developing, manufacturing, importing, distributing,
or selling COVID-19 vaccine obtained from registered
pharmaceutical companies, subject to the provisions of this
Act and applicable laws, rules, and regulations.

Section 13. Report to Congress

• The DOH shall present a report to Congress detailing an
improved COVID-19 surveillance and control plan, which shall
include improvements to data monitoring and
communication, instilling of proper COVID related conduct in
the public, and controlling the spread of the virus particularly
Section 14. Reportorial Requirement and Creation of an
Oversight Committee
The President, every first Monday of the month, shall submit a
monthly report to Congress and to the Commission on Audit
(COA) of all acts performed to this Act during the immediately
preceding month including a report on the targets and actual
accomplishments of government programs, strategies, plans,
and efforts relative to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as
relevant and more granulated health-related data, and such
other information which Congress and COA may require.
Section 15. Construction, or Interpretation
• Nothing herein shall be construed as ah impairment,
restriction or modification of the provisions of the
Constitution. In case the exercise of the powers herein
granted conflicts with other statutes, orders, rules or
regulations, the provisions of this Act shall prevail.

Section 16. Separability Clause

• If any provision of this Act or the application of such
provision to any person or circumstance is declared invalid,
the remainder of this Act or the application of such
provision to any other person or circumstance shall not be
affected by such declaration.
Section 17. Repealing Clause
All laws, acts, decrees, executive orders, issuances,
and rules and regulations or parts thereof which are
contrary to and inconsistent with this Act are hereby
repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

Section 18. Effectivity

This Act shall take effect immediately upon its
publication in a newspaper of general circulation or in
the Official Gazette: Provided, That Section 4(cc) of
this Act shall be deemed to be in effect since Republic
Act No. 11469 expired.
 Social
Amelioration
Program
(SAP)
What is Social Amelioration Program?

Is a government initiative that provides

financial assistance to low- income
households in order to help them cope with
the impacts of the economic crisis. This
program provides conditional cash transfers
to the poorest of the poor in order to improve
their health, nutrition and education.
Amelioration
Is defined as the action of making
something better or the process of
improving. Social amelioration refers to
the act or process of making social
conditions better.
These are the benefits that SAP includes to:

• Free Education
• Healthcare
• Housing assistance
• Food security programs
• Unemployment benefits
• Social security
Benefits of SAP

Each qualified household can get Php5,000

to Php8,000 monthly for two months for
food, medicine and toiletries. It is important
that SAP is distributed on a per-household
basis rather than person.
Qualifications
• Either you or a member of your family is 60 years
of age or older.
• Is a member of your family, or even yourself,
disabled (PWD)
• You or a member of your family is currently
expecting or is nursing.
• You, or someone in your family, are single
parents.
• You or a loved one may be an OFW who is in
trouble