Institutional Management Capacities of Supply Chain of the Essential Household Commodity: Validated Capacity Building Framework

The study assessed the management for supply chain of the essential household commodity–cooking fuel at Palo, Leyte during CY 2025. Cooking fuel stands as an essential household commodity directly linked to food security, public health, and livelihood stability. Yet in disaster-prone municipalities such as Palo, Leyte, supply chains remain vulnerable to typhoons, price volatility, transport disruptions, and institutional fragmentation. This study assessed cooking fuel supply chain management and institutional resilience capacities in Palo, Leyte, with the ultimate goal of developing a context-specific institutional resilience framework. Guided by a tri-focal theoretical matrix socio-ecological systems theory, dynamic capabilities theory, and collaborative governance framework the research employed a descriptive quantitative design supplemented by qualitative insights. Data were gathered from 110 respondents (35 business owners and 75 households) using structured questionnaires, interviews, and focus group discussions. Frequency, percentage, weighted mean, Pearson correlation, and chi-square were used for statistical treatment. Key findings reveal that supply chain performance is marginally acceptable under normal conditions but fragile during disruptions. Affordability and institutional coordination rank lowest, with fuel costs consuming 15–25% of household income. A critical capacity gap emerged: 53.3% of business owners and 82.0% of households have never attended relevant training. A strong, statistically significant relationship (r = 0.71, p < 0.001) confirms that institutional resilience capacities directly determine supply chain continuity. Demographic characteristics do not significantly alter perceptions, indicating systemic rather than individual level challenges. Based on these findings, the Palo Institutional Resilience Framework (PIRF) is proposed operationalizing the capacities of sensing, seizing, and transforming through institutionalized monitoring, buffer stocks, multi-stakeholder governance, capacity-building, and dedicated funding. The study concludes that cooking fuel supply continuity is fundamentally an institutional governance challenge, not merely a logistics problem Local Governance Resilience Framework is required to ensure availability, affordability, and equitable access especially during crises.