IN response to escalating global oil prices driven by rising tensions in the Middle East, House leaders have introduced a legislative measure aimed at creating a national protection system to shield Filipinos from the adverse effects of fuel price shocks.
Speaker Faustino “Bojie” G. Dy III and House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” A. Marcos have filed House Bill (HB) No. 8834, or the KALINGA Act, a measure designed to guarantee fast, targeted, and automatic government response when fuel price shocks begin driving up the cost of living.
The KALINGA Act, which stands for “Katuwang sa Liebel ng Gastusin ng Bayan,” aims to be more than just an emergency assistance program. It establishes a comprehensive national protection framework designed to enable the government to act proactively, decisively, and in a coordinated manner.
The goal is to prevent rising fuel costs from triggering widespread increases in essential expenses such as public transportation fares, food prices, electricity rates, and other daily necessities. As Majority Leader Marcos stated, “With just one move in oil prices, everything increases—fares, food, electricity. Congress and the government will find a solution to the situation. With the KALINGA Act, there is a clear system—there is a trigger, there is action, and there is help.”
At the heart of the proposed legislation is the KALINGA Program, a whole-of-government response system designed to be automatically activated upon the appearance of critical warning signs. These triggers include sharp increases in fuel prices, extraordinary inflation, critically low fuel supply levels, or the declaration of a national energy emergency.
Marcos emphasized the proactive nature of the bill, stating, “This is not just aid. This is protection. When prices rise, help is automatic.” The program is structured to include several key 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.
The KALINGA Program is designed to provide support to vulnerable sectors, which include, but are not limited to, low-income households, disadvantaged and underemployed workers, public transport drivers, farmers, fisherfolk, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), overseas Filipino workers, and other groups identified by a KALINGA Inter-Agency Task Force through data-driven assessments.
These vulnerable sectors are groups of people, families, and businesses that are hit hardest by rising fuel prices, sudden price increases, and supply issues, and they have a difficult time handling the extra costs. The proposed measure carefully describes a plan to keep fuel prices steady by giving specific financial help and adjusting taxes, making sure there is enough energy by using different sources and managing supplies, directly helping vulnerable groups, keeping the prices and supply of essential goods stable, supporting MSMEs, and encouraging energy saving.
