MANILA – The House Ad Hoc Committee on Legislative Energy Action and Development (LEAD) has approved the proposed Kalinga bill, a measure seeking to provide short- and long-term assistance in response to rising oil prices driven by the ongoing Middle East conflict.

In a report, the proposed measure, known as the Komprehensibong Alalay sa Livelihood, Inflation, Negosyo, at Goods Assistance (Kalinga), aims to institutionalize a national crisis-response framework that would automatically activate government interventions during sharp increases in fuel prices, inflation spikes, supply disruptions, and energy emergencies.

Under the bill, government responses would include targeted assistance for vulnerable households and affected sectors, fuel-efficiency programs, promotion of renewable energy, energy resilience initiatives, and measures to stabilize supply chains and reduce dependence on imported fuel.

It also covers assistance programs for price stability of essential goods and support for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to sustain operations amid economic pressures.

Speaker Faustino Dy III, one of the authors of the measure, said the proposal responds directly to the impact of global price shocks on Filipino households.

“We want a future where global oil price spikes will no longer automatically translate into deeper hardship for Filipino families,” Dy said.

Following the committee approval, House Ways and Means Committee chairperson and Marikina 2nd District Rep. Miro Quimbo instructed the committee secretariat to file the substitute bill and committee report with the Committee on Rules.

“Kalinga bill seeks to address both sides of the crisis: direct and targeted relief for vulnerable households and sectors; and stabilization measures to keep food, transport, energy, jobs, essential services, and supply chains moving,” Quimbo said.

“The people demand us to act—swiftly, decisively, and wisely. And we must do so before another Filipino family is pushed deeper into hardship by this crisis,” he added.