The House of Representatives is fast-tracking a package of measures to address rising fuel costs, with legislation expected to be ready when Congress resumes session on May 4.
Among the reforms being considered are incentives to promote cleaner and more sustainable transport, including support for electric vehicles and related industries.
The Legislative Energy Action Development (LEAD) Council, a multi-committee body tasked with aligning immediate relief and long-term reforms as oil prices continue to climb amid tensions in the Middle East, is leading the push to approve the measures.
Marikina City 2nd District Rep. Miro Quimbo, chair of the Committee on Ways and Means and presiding officer of the LEAD Council, said lawmakers are working through the break to ensure that concrete measures are in place once session resumes.
“By the end of the month, ‘pag nag-start na kami ng formal session natin ng first week of May, is meron na kaming nabuong batas that will address ‘yung urgent needs natin today,” Quimbo said in a radio interview on Saturday.
He said the House has been holding extended and back-to-back hearings, even during the congressional session break that started March 21, to speed up the process and deliver results.
The planned legislation, Quimbo said, will tackle both immediate relief from the oil price shock and structural reforms to reduce the country’s vulnerability to global price swings.
“Kasama diyan ang pagbibigay ng incentives para makabuo tayo ng isang panibagong cars program na magpo-promote ng electric vehicle use, hindi lang sa gobyerno, pero pati pagbibigay ng tax incentives at saka iba’t ibang insentibo na hindi nagre-require ng gobyerno na magbigay ng pera,” Quimbo said.
He said the goal is to create a policy environment that encourages private sector investment in emerging industries such as electric vehicles, battery production and other alternatives to fossil fuels.
The LEAD Council, composed of 13 House committees, is serving as the central platform for the House’s coordinated response, with lawmakers aiming to roll out both short-term relief and long-term solutions to cushion the impact of rising fuel prices on Filipinos. (PNA)
