House panel approves Kalinga Bill amid oil crisis concerns

The House Ad Hoc Committee on Legislative Energy Action and Development (LEAD) approved the proposed Kalinga Bill, short for Komprehensibong Alalay sa Livelihood, Inflation, Negosyo, at Good Assistance, which seeks to provide both short-term and long-term aid to various sectors across the country.

The measure aims to institutionalize the government’s response by setting thresholds that would trigger intervention measures during extraordinary fuel price increases and inflation spikes, particularly amid energy emergencies caused by the ongoing oil crisis linked to tensions in the Middle East.

The Kalinga Bill seeks to provide assistance to affected Filipinos and vulnerable households through support programs and price stabilization measures for basic goods, while also assisting micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

The proposed measure also complements existing national government initiatives, including fuel efficiency programs, energy resilience measures, renewable energy promotion and supply stabilization efforts aimed at reducing the country’s dependence on imported fuel.

According to Speaker Faustino 'Bojie' Dy III, one of the authors of the bill, the proposal directly addresses the struggles being experienced by Filipinos amid rising global oil prices and other economic challenges.

Through the Kalinga Bill, Dy said the impact of the crisis would no longer translate into deeper hardship for Filipino households, as the measure aims to stabilize the prices of food, transportation, energy and other essential services.

Dy added that the public is demanding urgent action to prevent Filipino families from suffering further because of the ongoing national and global crises.

House panel chairperson and Miro Quimbo directed the committee secretariat to file the approved substitute bill and corresponding committee report with the Committee on Rules through the Bills and Index Service.

Meanwhile, the Government Service Insurance System expressed full support for the Kalinga Bill, saying the measure aligns with the agency’s existing relief programs.

GSIS cited three programs it has implemented since the emergency declaration, including the Balik Ginhawa Loan program, which provided a moratorium benefiting around 560,000 members amounting to P9 billion.

The GSIS Solar Emergency Loan has also been availed of by more than 10,000 members, totaling approximately P3.1 billion.

Meanwhile, the newly launched Ginhawa Bike and E-bike Loan program has already attracted around 1,000 applicants, representing P133 million in applications.

According to GSIS, the three programs collectively represent P12.2 billion in relief commitments for government employees and pensioners.