House OKs anti-oil crisis Kalinga bill on 2nd reading

The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved on second reading the Kalinga bill, a proposed aid package in response to lingering oil price surges triggered by armed conflict in the Middle East.

The plenary approved House Bill 9305 through a voice vote.

The measure establishes economic triggers that would allow the President to declare a national emergency related to fuel and energy supply disruptions.

Among the triggers cited in the bill are Dubai crude oil prices exceeding US$80 per barrel for 30 consecutive days, domestic fuel price increases of at least 30% within 30 days, or national fuel inventory falling below a 30-day supply.

The bill also authorizes direct and targeted assistance for affected sectors, including support for food, fuel, electricity, transportation, labor, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

“This bill is built on a simple principle: relief must be immediate, but reform must be lasting,” House Ways and Means panel chairman Rep. Miro Quimbo of Marikina City said.

The measure also mandates that logistics and transport systems remain operational during crises and calls for the creation of an interoperable government data system to improve the delivery of assistance.

House Bill 9305 is listed as a priority measure under the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) and the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

However, the President has yet to certify the measure as urgent.

A presidential certification of urgency would allow both chambers of Congress to approve a bill on second and third reading on the same day.—MCG, GMA News