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BEFORE Congress adjourned its sessions last March, we filed a counterpart measure to the bill of Marikina City Rep. Stella Quimbo institutionalizing the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). This measure seeks to provide the much-needed additional support to Filipinos who are caught in very unfortunate circumstances.
This program, which was initially implemented in 2014, provides various forms of assistance – medical, educational, funeral, food and non-food, transportation, and even psychosocial help – to disadvantaged and vulnerable Filipinos. These forms of support are crucial not only as we navigate through the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic but also in response to the rising number of Filipino families who have gone through many hardships over the past years. In fact, data from the Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that, in 2021, 18.1% or close to 20 million Filipinos lived below the poverty threshold or whose income cannot be sufficient for their basic food and non-food needs.
It is important to note that this figure is significantly higher than the 16.7% in 2018. In fact, the World Bank in its Poverty and Equity Brief on the Philippines noted that “The COVID-19 crisis has interrupted more than 30 years of continuous poverty reduction in the Philippines.” Moreover, even with the support of PhilHealth, the growing costs of healthcare services has also pushed many Filipinos, particularly those diagnosed with critical illnesses, into poverty especially since household out-of-pocket payment (OOP) remains a considerable chunk of the 2021 health expenditure at 41.5% according to the PSA.
There are even stories of Filipinos who no longer have enough funds to go back to their provinces after availing of medical services in urban areas; hence, one can only speculate the lack of aftercare he/she will experience amid the financial burden. Simply put, there are many Filipinos who would be caught monetarily unprepared in the event of a sudden death, medical emergency, or calamity.
There is an urgent need for the government to not only think of long-term solutions but also interventions that would serve as immediate safety nets for families that are in dire situations. In our efforts to reduce poverty in the Philippines, it is crucial for us to provide mechanisms that will serve as a stopgap to prevent vulnerable families from sinking deeper. It is our belief that the AICS Program is among the government’s most effective support systems. For instance, during the recent oil spill in Oriental Mindoro, the program was instrumental in providing emergency aid, not only to the residents of the province, but also to those residing in Palawan and Antique.
As to the performance of the program, according to the annual accomplishment report of the DSWD, the AICS Program has served over 5.3 million beneficiaries in 2022 which is considerably higher than their physical target of around 1.2 million. Of the 5.3 million the program has helped, the majority of the beneficiaries or around 658,000 were in Region 6, followed by the National Capital Region at around 654,000 and Region VII with over 595,000 individuals. Cognizant of the importance of the AICS Program as well as its notable performance, Congress has steadily increased its budget under the General Appropriations Act – from a mere Php4.09 billion in 2014, funding for AICS has increased to over Php36.5 billion in 2023.
This measure, which has the full support of DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, is vital as it will institutionalize this lifesaver program of the Department, thereby ensuring not only its permanence but also its continued funding in the years to come. In addition, in order to ensure its effectiveness, the proposed bill will also mandate the Department to conduct their own monitoring and evaluation to assess the responsiveness of the said program, which will include a client/stakeholder’s feedback mechanism. And to further strengthen its implementation, a joint congressional oversight committee will also be created to determine the areas of the program that need improvement and recommend the appropriate legislative interventions.
It is our hope that through this measure, the DSWD, being the government’s arm in social protection, will be further strengthened and empowered to have a wider reach in its delivery of assistance. More importantly, we hope that this would assure more Filipinos, especially those in the midst of huge financial burdens, that the government is committed to come to their aid.
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Sen. Sonny Angara has been in public service for 18 years—9 years as Representative of the Lone District of Aurora, and 9 as Senator. He has authored, co-authored, and sponsored more than 330 laws. He is currently serving his second term in the Senate.
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Email: sensonnyangara@yahoo.com| Facebook, Twitter & Instagram: @sonnyangara/PN