HOUSE Deputy Speaker and Bacolod City Lone District Representative Alfredo Abelardo Benitez is now eyeing filing the Bayanihan for Economic Resilience and National Stability Act of 2026 after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Executive Order (EO) 110, declaring a state of national energy emergency on March 24, 2026.
Benitez said in a statement that the President’s declaration of a state of national emergency and authorizing the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food and Transport is a timely and much-needed response to this new crisis the whole nation is facing.
"I have always advocated for a whole-of-government approach to solving our most serious issues, and this declaration allows for just that -- for the government to move as one to ensure that the Filipino people are able to continue living decently, that industries are protected, that no one loses their job because of this crisis," Benitez said.
He said that if there is anything they should have learned from the Covid-19 pandemic, it is that government must be swift, decisive, and flexible in its response mechanisms.
"To support the Executive, I will file the Bayanihan for Economic Resilience and National Stability Act of 2026. This bill seeks to empower the Executive to respond efficiently to this evolving crisis while ensuring transparency, accountability, and targeted relief by providing emergency powers, fiscal flexibility, and strategic interventions to stabilize prices, protect vulnerable sectors, and ensure national resilience," he added.
The lawmaker also asked the support of his colleagues for the deliberation of his proposal as soon as possible.
"Now more than ever, we need to act as the House of the People and craft a viable strategy that will allow us to overcome this crisis and ensure the welfare of the Filipino people," Benitez said.
The EO stated that the closure of the Strait Hormuz, a critical energy corridor for global oil shipments, disrupts the flow of petroleum products to international markets and constrains global fuel supply, with corresponding implications on the stability and adequacy of our domestic energy supply.
The secretary of Energy has determined that the foregoing circumstances pose an imminent danger of a critically low energy supply and that urgent measures are necessary to ensure the stability and adequacy of the country's energy supply, the EO further added. (MAP)