Manila: The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved on the third and final reading a sweeping measure establishing a permanent national emergency response framework to protect Filipinos from fuel-driven inflation, energy shocks, supply disruptions, and future global crises.
According to Philippines News Agency, the chamber passed House Bill (HB) No. 9305, or the proposed 'Komprehensibong Alalay sa Livelihood, Inflation, Negosyo at Goods Assistance (KALINGA) Act,' with a vote of 294 against three with zero abstentions. Speaker Faustino 'Bojie' Dy III and House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander 'Sandro' Marcos are the principal authors of the measure, which drew the backing of 156 other lawmakers as co-authors.
The proposed KALINGA Act institutionalizes a whole-of-government emergency response and resilience framework that would enable the government to automatically roll out targeted interventions once specific thresholds for fuel prices, energy supply, or economic disruption are reached. Under the bill, the President may declare a state of national energy emergency if global crude oil prices remain elevated for a sustained period, domestic fuel prices sharply increase, or national fuel inventories fall below critical supply levels.
Once triggered, the proposed law authorizes temporary emergency measures aimed at stabilizing prices, protecting vulnerable sectors, preserving essential services, securing supply chains, and cushioning the economy from external shocks. Among the key features of the bill are targeted cash assistance, fuel subsidies, transport support, food vouchers, electricity subsidies, MSME (micro, small, and medium enterprise) aid, agricultural and fisheries assistance, emergency financing programs, logistics support, and strategic fuel reserve mechanisms.
The measure identifies low-income households, minimum wage earners, displaced workers, public transport drivers and operators, delivery riders, farmers, fisherfolk, logistics providers, MSMEs, overseas Filipino workers, and other vulnerable sectors as priority beneficiaries of government interventions during periods of emergency. The bill also authorizes emergency procurement measures, fuel inventory monitoring, contingency supply plans, concessional credit programs, crop and fisheries support, temporary regulatory relief, and energy conservation and demand management measures.
To strengthen implementation and prevent leakages, the proposal mandates the use of interoperable digital beneficiary databases, verified registries, digital payment systems, and automated validation platforms for the distribution of aid and subsidies. The measure likewise creates the KALINGA National Response Council, chaired by the Executive Secretary and composed of key Cabinet officials, to oversee emergency response operations, coordinate interventions, monitor implementation, and recommend the declaration or lifting of a national energy emergency.
The proposed law also subjects all expenditures and emergency measures to transparency, congressional oversight, and Commission on Audit review. In a statement, Marcos said the measure ensures that the government already has a standing legal framework to respond quickly, decisively, and in a coordinated manner during times of crisis.
Marcos said the measure seeks to shift government policy from reactive crisis management to long-term preparedness and national resilience. 'The government should not merely be scrambling for solutions every time a global fuel crisis hits. We must already have systems in place to stabilize supply chains, protect livelihoods, and ensure that assistance reaches affected Filipinos immediately,' Marcos said. 'This is ultimately about protecting ordinary Filipinos from economic shocks beyond their control while preserving stability in critical sectors of the economy,' he added.
The measure became increasingly urgent amid recurring geopolitical tensions abroad and continued volatility in global oil markets, which heavily affect the Philippines because of its dependence on imported fuel.
