ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Key revisions made to KALINGA bill as final House passage nears

Key revisions made to KALINGA bill as final House passage nears

Published May 21, 2026 03:14 pm

At A Glance

  • Arthur Yap secured amendments to HB No. 9305, ensuring direct consumer relief such as P500 ayuda distributed through electricity bills and suspension of VAT and excise taxes on petroleum during crises.
  • The KALINGA Act also provides financial support for agricultural workers and cooperatives, reinforcing food security amid economic and energy disruptions.
  • The bill passed on second reading in the House, setting up final approval next week, with Yap urging swift passage to institutionalize proactive safeguards against external shocks.
Murang Kuryente Party-list Rep. Arthur Yap (Facebook)
Murang Kuryente Party-list Rep. Arthur Yap (Facebook)


Murang Kuryente Party-list Rep. Arthur Yap played a key role in strengthening the proposed KALINGA Act on Wednesday, May 20 by ensuring the inclusion of concrete, consumer-focused interventions aimed at delivering immediate relief to Filipinos.
The KALINGA Act--a pet measure of the House leadership-- was up for second-reading approval during plenary session Wednesday when Yap stood up to propose individual ammendments.
Among the key provisions carried into the House Bill (HB) No. 9305 due to Yap's intervention is the direct distribution of P500 in ayuda to qualified beneficiaries through their electric bills—a targeted and efficient mechanism to ease the burden of rising energy costs on households.
The measure likewise mandates the suspension of value-added tax (VAT) and excise taxes on petroleum products during periods of crisis--a long-demanded reform that directly addresses price volatility and protects consumers from sudden fuel price spikes.
In addition, the bill provides dedicated financial support for agricultural workers and cooperatives, recognizing the critical role of the agriculture sector in ensuring food security amid economic and energy disruptions.
“This is not just a policy framework—it is a direct intervention to protect Filipino families from the cascading effects of global crises,” Yap said. “We made sure the bill delivers real, immediate relief where it matters most: in electricity costs, fuel prices, and food production.”
KALINGA stands for “Komprehensibong Alalay sa Livelihood, Inflation, Negosyo at Goods Assistance”.
Wednesday's second-reading aprpoval of HB No. 9305 sets up the measure for third and final reading next week.
Yap, a former Department of Agriculture (DA) secretary, emphasized that the passage of the bill at second reading signals growing consensus in Congress that government must move beyond reactive measures and adopt a proactive, institutionalized approach to crisis response.
“For too long, Filipinos have been left exposed to external shocks. The KALINGA Bill changes that by putting in place automatic, responsive safeguards that activate when the country needs them most,” he added.
The lawmaker urged swift passage on third reading, as he stressed that delays would mean prolonging the vulnerability of millions of Filipinos to economic and energy instability.

Related Tags

KALINGA Act Arthur Yap Murang Kuryente Party-list
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.