By Jose Cielito Reganit
MANILA – The Kalinga Bill is the comprehensive response of the House of Representatives to the oil crisis and similar disruptive events in the future, Marikina City Rep. Miro Quimbo said Tuesday as the House entered final deliberations on the proposed 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,” he told 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.”
Quimbo, chair of the House Committee on Ways and Means, said the framework 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.
He pointed out that the measure looks beyond the present emergency by promoting conservation, fuel efficiency, renewable energy adoption, and measures to reduce our 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 “Bojie” Dy III and Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos of Ilocos Norte.
It consists of seven component responses: fuel price stabilization; energy supply security and inventory management; targeted assistance; essential goods and logistics stabilization; micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) energy relief and business continuity; energy conservation and demand reduction; and flexible fiscal and regulatory measures. (PNA)
