MANILA — The House of Representatives is advancing a proposed measure dubbed the “Kalinga Bill” as part of what lawmakers described as a comprehensive response to the oil crisis and similar future disruptions.

Marikina City Rep. Miro Quimbo said the proposal represents the chamber’s consolidated approach as the House entered final deliberations on the measure.

“It is now timely that we present to the Filipino people the direction of our response. The Kalinga Bill serves as the strong foundation for consolidating the outcome of the deliberations into a substitute bill,” Quimbo said before the Ad Hoc Committee on Legislative Energy Action and Development (LEAD), which he chairs.

“The proposals before us are meant to provide more than immediate relief, but to begin the long-term systemic changes to reduce our fuel dependency. This is the spirit of the Kalinga Program: relief now, resilience for the future,” he added.

Quimbo, who also chairs the House Committee on Ways and Means, said the framework aims to address both immediate relief needs and longer-term structural reforms.

He said the measure includes targeted assistance for vulnerable households and sectors, alongside stabilization efforts to ensure continuity in food supply, transport, energy, employment, essential services, and logistics.

The proposal also seeks to promote fuel conservation, renewable energy adoption, and broader efforts to reduce dependence on imported fuel.

The Kalinga (Komprehensibong Alalay sa Livelihood, Inflation, Negosyo, and Goods Assistance) Program is contained in House Bill 8834, authored by Speaker Faustino Dy III and Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos.

It is composed of seven components: fuel price stabilization; energy supply security and inventory management; targeted assistance; essential goods and logistics stabilization; MSME energy relief and business continuity; energy conservation and demand reduction; and flexible fiscal and regulatory measures.