Senator Win Gatchalian said the government needs to ensure that there will be enough rice supply in the market, not only within the enhanced community quarantine period but for the rest of the year, to ensure price stability of the commodity.

Senator Win Gatchalian echoes reminders for private lending institutions accredited under the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Automatic Payroll Deduction System (APDS) to comply on not imposing penalties for late payments as the country combats the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Senator Win Gatchalian called on the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to be more liberal in applying certain rules on fringe benefit tax for the duration of the enhanced community quarantine.

As the country sees the increasing number of Filipinos contracting the deadly coronavirus, Senator Win Gatchalian has urged all Local Government Units (LGUs) to set up makeshift hospitals and isolation tents where patients with mild symptoms can be isolated and mitigate the risk of spreading the virus.

With the enhanced community quarantine expected to go beyond April, Senator Win Gatchalian is calling on the government to extend the price freeze on Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) which households commonly use for their day-to-day needs.

As the country races against time to contain the spread of the deadly virus, Senator Win Gatchalian urges the national government to relax the requirements on COVID-19 related transactions to expedite the delivery of relief and services to the public.

Senator Win Gatchalian is appalled over what he calls a sluggish COVID-19 testing capacity of the Department of Health (DOH). The senator recently found out that the DOH has yet to accredit any hospital to carry out COVID-19 testing even after pronouncements made by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that the newly delivered test kits from South Korea and China are now available for commercial use.

Senator Win Gatchalian has proposed that all banks, including quasi-banks, financing companies, lending companies, and other financial institutions, both public and private, including the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Social Security System (SSS) and Pag-IBIG Fund, to implement a minimum of 30-day grace period for loan payments within the period of the enhanced community quarantine.

Senator Win Gatchalian is urging both the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to fast-track the release of the last tranche of student subsidies for school year 2018-2019 under their respective programs: the Senior High School Voucher Program (SHS VP) and the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES).