CRISIS AID. Beneficiaries of the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation receive the second tranche of their PHP5,000 cash aid in Navotas on Oct. 15, 2021. The Department of Social Welfare and Development implements the program. (Photo courtesy of Navotas-PIO)
MANILA – Two leaders of the House of Representatives want to institutionalize the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program that has provided immediate relief to Filipinos under difficult circumstances.
Speaker Lord Allan Velasco and Deputy Minority Leader Stella Quimbo on Friday filed House Bill 10428, which proposes to introduce a permanent national program that would be continuously funded under the annual budget of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Under the measure, the DSWD is tasked to provide various types of assistance, including cash grants for transportation, medical, burial, educational, food, and other support services.
A beneficiary may get a minimum of PHP1,000 to a maximum of PHP150,000, depending on the need and the type of assistance.
The institutionalized AICS program seeks to remedy the country's pressing need for a national assistance program, highlighted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Velasco described it as a "stopgap" measure intended to provide immediate assistance to those in difficult situations.
“We need to institutionalize the program to make sure that it is always financially and administratively capable to respond to the needs of all Filipinos in crisis situations,” Velasco said in a statement.
Quimbo said the pandemic-induced recession has made many Filipinos incapable of facing difficulties independently.
“Families in the lowest income decile earn approximately PHP9,416 a month. Hence, they lack adequate capacity to finance funeral expenses, hospital bills, among others, should they face such unfortunate incidents,” Quimbo said in another statement.
The lawmakers said that in such situations, the government should have the responsibility to step in and provide immediate relief.
“We cannot make the people choose between feeding their family and paying for their hospital bills or paying for the utility bill and a loved one's funeral expense. Through the AICS bill, we will make sure that they can afford both,” the bill explained. (PNA)
