Senators junk the proposal of congressmen to give President Rodrigo Duterte emegerncy powers to address the problems hounding beleaguered state-health agency Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) saying the president already enjoys vast powers under the Constitution and existing laws powers.
Philippine shares rose more than 5 percent during shortened trading on Wednesday after President Rodrigo Duterte signed a bill granting him extra powers and a massive war chest to stem the Covid-19 outbreak.
The number of lawmakers who voted against the bill granting extra powers to President Rodrigo Duterte can be counted with all 10 fingers.
The Senate and the House of Representatives passed identical bills granting extra powers to the president to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, such as the takeover of medical and transport facilities and flexibility in disbursing the national budget.