House bill seeks P150K cash aid to poor Pinoys in crisis

MANILA, Philippines — A bill seeking to grant financial assistance of up to P150,000 to poor Filipinos in emergency situations has been filed in the House of Representatives.

House Bill No. 10428, filed by Speaker Lord Allan Velasco and Deputy Minority Leader Stella Quimbo, seeks to institutionalize the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

The AICS program provides immediate financial relief to members of marginalized sectors in unexpected crisis such as illness or death of a family member.

The measure would mandate the DSWD to provide cash grants from P1,000 to P150,000 to qualified beneficiaries depending on the need and type of assistance needed, such as funds for burial, educational or medical fees, among others.

If passed and enacted, the AICS program would be regularly funded in the annual national budget, unlike in the current set-up in which its allocation depends on the availability of DSWD funds.

“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.

The Marinduque congressman explained that the government has the responsibility to provide relief to poor Filipinos in distressful and desperate situations.

“We cannot make the people choose between feeding their family or paying for their hospital bill, between paying for the utility bill or a loved one’s funeral expense. Through the AICS bill, we will make sure that they can afford both,” he said.

Quimbo, for her part, cited the need to strengthen the program as the pandemic-induced recession has made many Filipinos incapable of facing life’s difficulties independently.

“Families in the lowest income decile earn approximately P9,416 a month. Hence, they lack adequate capacity to finance funeral expenses, hospital bills, among others should they face such unfortunate incidents,” the Marikina congresswoman pointed out.