# Defeat COVID-19 Ad Hoc Committee

The Defeat COVID-19 Ad Hoc Committee is an ad hoc committee of the Philippine House of Representatives. The committee is dedicated to addressing matters directly and principally related to the government's appropriate response to the novel coronavirus. Its focus extends to mitigating the virus's impact on the economy and the general public, with particular attention to the labor force.

## Background

The ad hoc committee was first proposed on March 16, 2020 by Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano serving as an advisory and coordinating committee which will harmonize and streamline the government efforts in response to the pandemic.
On March 24, 2020, its creation was formally proposed by Cayetano during the approval on the third and final reading of House Bill No. 6616 which would later become the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act (Republic Act No. 11469). Majority Floor Leader Ferdinand Martin Romualdez then moved to select Cayetano as the committee chairperson of which the latter accepted. Cayetano likewise appointed Romualdez as a committee co-chairperson.

## Jurisdiction

The committee's jurisdiction is on the appropriate government response on the COVID-19 pandemic and how to curb its effects on the economy and the general public especially the labor force.

## Members and sub-committees

| Position | Members | Party | Province/City | District |
| Chairperson | Alan Peter Cayetano | Nacionalista | Taguig–Pateros | 1st |
| Co-Chairperson | Ferdinand Martin Romualdez | Lakas | Leyte | 1st |
| New Normal Sub-Committee ||||||
| Co-Chairperson | Loren Legarda | NPC | Antique | Lone |
| Health and COVID-19 Response Sub-Committee ||||||
| Co-Chairpersons | Angelina Tan | NPC | Quezon | 4th |
| Co-Chairpersons | Janette Garin | Nacionalista | Iloilo | 1st |
| Social Amelioration Sub-Committee ||||||
| Co-Chairpersons | Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr. | Nacionalista | Camarines Sur | 2nd |
| Co-Chairpersons | Lucy Torres-Gomez | PDP–Laban | Leyte | 4th |
| Economic Stimulus Response Package Sub-Committee ||||||
| Co-Chairpersons | Joey Salceda | PDP–Laban | Albay | 2nd |
| Co-Chairpersons | Sharon Garin | AAMBIS-OWA | Party-list | Party-list |
| Co-Chairpersons | Stella Luz Quimbo | Liberal | Marikina | 2nd |
| Peace and Order Sub-Committee ||||||
| Co-Chairpersons | Raul Tupas | Nacionalista | Iloilo | 5th |
| Co-Chairpersons | Narciso Bravo Jr. | NUP | Masbate | 1st |

### New Normal Sub-Committee

The New Normal Sub-Committee is composed of the following existing House committees:
* Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development
* Disaster Management
* Higher and Technical Education
* Trade and Industry
* Transportation
* Basic Education and Culture
* Labor and Employment
* Government Reorganization
* Public Information
* Local Government
* Civil Service and Professional Regulation
* Good Government and Public Accountability
* Revision of Laws
* Information and Communications Technology
* Inter-Parliamentary Relations and Diplomacy
* Foreign Affairs
* Appropriations

### Health and COVID-19 Response Sub-Committee

The Health and COVID-19 Response Sub-Committee is composed of the following existing House committees:
* Health
* Science and Technology

### Social Amelioration Sub-Committee

The Social Amelioration Sub-Committee is composed of the following existing House committees:
* Agrarian Reform
* Agriculture and Food
* Aquaculture and Fisheries Resources
* Cooperatives Development
* Natural Resources
* Rural Development
* Veterans Affairs and Welfare
* Overseas Workers Affairs
* Poverty Alleviation
* Social Services
* Welfare of Children
* Women and Gender Equality
* Youth and Sports Development
* People Participation
* Food Security
* Land Use
* Persons with Disabilities
* Senior Citizens

### Economic Stimulus Response Package Sub-Committee

The Economic Stimulus Response Package Sub-Committee is composed of the following existing House committees:
* Economic Affairs
* Public Works and Highways
* Government Enterprises and Privatization
* Sustainable Development Goals
* Metro Manila Development
* Games and Amusements
* Ways and Means
* Climate Change
* Visayas Development
* Tourism
* Energy
* Banks and Financial Intermediaries
* Flagship Programs and Projects
* Globalization and WTO
* Southern Tagalog Development
* Bicol Recovery and Economic Development
* North Luzon Growth Quadrangle
* Bases Conversion
* Reforestation
* East ASEAN Growth Area

### Peace and Order Sub-Committee

The Peace and Order Sub-Committee is composed of the following existing House committees:
* Accounts
* National Defense and Security
* Public Order and Safety
* Ecology
* Housing and Urban Development
* Population and Family Relations
* Constitutional Amendments
* Ethics and Privileges
* Justice
* Legislative Franchises
* Public Accounts
* Suffrage and Electoral Reforms
* Dangerous Drugs
* Human Rights
* Mindanao Affairs
* Muslim Affairs
* Indigenous Cultural Communities and Indigenous Peoples
* Peace, Reconciliation and Unity
* Strategic Intelligence
* West Philippine Sea

## Approved bills

The following bills have been referred to the committee and already approved by the House of Representatives on the third and final reading:
| House Bill | Short title | Long title | Date approved |
| House Bill No. 6815 | Accelerated Recovery and Investments Stimulus for the Economy of the Philippines (ARISE) Act | An Act establishing an economic stimulus strategy for the country's growth and development in the aftermath of COVID-19, providing funds therefor | June 4, 2020 |
| House Bill No. 6816 | Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer (FIST) Act | An Act ensuring Philippine financial industry resiliency against the COVID-19 pandemic | June 2, 2020 |
| House Bill No. 6817 | COVID-19-Related Anti-Discrimination Act | An Act prohibiting the discrimination against person who are declared confirmed, suspect, probable, and recovered cases of COVID-19, repatriated Filipinos, healthcare workers, responders, and service workers and providing penalties for violation thereof | June 2, 2020 |
| House Bill No. 6864 | Better Normal for the Workplace, Communities and Public Spaces Act | An Act establishing policies, regulations, and public health safeguards for the better normal in the workplace, public places and communities toward a sustainable recovery from COVID-19 pandemic | August 10, 2020 |
| House Bill No. 6865 | Crushing COVID-19 Act | An Act mandating the conduct of baseline polymerase chain reaction COVID-19 testing for the vulnerable members of the society to stop the transmission of the disease | June 4, 2020 |
| House Bill No. 6920 | COVID-19 Unemployment Reduction Economic Stimulus (CURES) Act | An Act establishing a COVID-19 unemployment reduction economic stimulus (CURES) fund, instituting mechanisms for the implementation thereof and appropriating funds therefor | June 5, 2020 |