Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

NINETEENTH CONGRESS,
First Regular Session

House BiLLNo. 498

Introduced by Representative Stella Luz A. Quimbo

AN ACT
INSTITUTIONALIZING THE ASSISTANCE TO INDIVIDUALS IN CRISIS SITUATION
(AICS) PROGRAM AND PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR

The Philippines, as a developing country, faces a number of development issues which
should be addressed by long-term solutions as well as short term interventions. As of
2018, 17.6 million Filipinos are living below the poverty line. The hunger rate is 13.6
percent as of June 2021 which translates to 3.4 million Filipinos feeling hunger in the
period between April to June. In terms of wages, based on 2018 figures, the average
family income is deplorable at P313,000 a year, or about P26,000 per month. Families
in the lowest income decile have it even worse at P113,000 a year or approximately
P9,416 a month.

These figures show that an ordinary Filipino worker does not have the financial capacity
to meet the demands of a personal emergency such as death or illness of a family
member if faced with such a difficulty. By spending more than what they could to attend
to these difficult situations, people are pushed further into poverty.

Therefore, many Filipinos living in vulnerable conditions all over the archipelago are in
need of immediate relief when they face exigencies stemming from familial matters,
medical emergencies, and disasters. Most of the time, these individuals could not go to
hospitals, funeral parlors, or go back home to their provinces, to avail of basic social
services because they lack the financial capability and support to do so.

The pandemic has worsened the plight of those in crisis situations. A 2021 study of
hospitalization expenditures of COVID-19 patients in the UP Philippine General Hospital
revealed that total expenses clustered around P51,000 to P200,000, and that most
spending was between P101,000 to P150,000. Aside from this, relatives who need to go
back to their provinces face additional costs on top of fares because of minimum public
health requirements such as COVID-19 testing. Because of their living conditions, the
poor are disproportionately at risk of being infected with the virus, which would entail
additional costs for medicines, treatment, or worse, funeral expenses. Families with


members attending online classes also face additional financial burden to fulfill online
learning needs such as electronic gadgets and mobile data.

Fortunately, even before the pandemic, the Department of Social Welfare and
Development has rolled out the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation Program to
provide immediate relief to the marginalized sector should they face difficult
circumstances. Thus, this bill seeks to institutionalize the said program in order to
introduce a permanent national program that is financially and administratively capable
of responding to the needs of Filipinos when dealing with an extreme circumstance.

In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought.

STELLA LUZ A. QUIMBO, PHD
Representative
Second District, Marikina City


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 498

Introduced by Representative Stella Luz A. Quimbo

AN ACT
INSTITUTIONALIZING THE ASSISTANCE TO INDIVIDUALS IN CRISIS SITUATION
(AICS) PROGRAM AND PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR

SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Assistance to
Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) Act’.

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. — \tis hereby declared a policy of the State to
provide immediate relief to all individuals in extreme and difficult situations. Priority
attention shall be given to the poor, vulnerable, and marginalized sectors of the society,
Such assistance to be given to the individuals and families who need immediate
intervention will allow them to access basic services in order to fully recover from their
dire situations.

SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act, the following terms are
defined, as follows:

a) Burial Assistance refers to the assistance to defray funeral and related
expenses;

b) Cash assistance for other support services refers to an assistance provided to
individuals and families in extremely difficult circumstances in which the need does not
fall on other types of assistance;

©) Crisis Situation refers to a condition whereby an individual or group of persons
are faced with a different and stressful situation, resulting to the impairment of his/her
psychosocial functioning, and thereby needing series of interventions to prevent further
exposure to vulnerabilities, exploitation, and abuse;

d) Educational Assistance refers to the assistance given to eligible students to
help defray school expenses and/or cost of sending students/children to school, ;


e) Food assistance refers to the assistance to beneficiaries amounting to at least
P80.00 per meal per individual for meals;

f) Medical Assistance refers to assistance to help shoulder hospitalization
expenses, cost of medicines, other medical treatment or procedures, or professional
fees;

g) Target beneficiaries refers to individuals and/or families who are indigent,
vulnerable, disadvantaged, or are otherwise in crisis situation based on the assessment
of the Social Workers; and

h) Transportation Assistance refers to the assistance for the purchase or
payment of transport tickets and/or expenses to enable the beneficiaries to return to
their home provinces permanently or seek further medical interventions in another
place, or to attend to emergency concerns or critical situations of family members or
other individuals in need

SEC. 4. The Assistance to Individuals in Crisis (AICS) Program. - The
Assistance to Individuals in Crisis (AICS) Program shall provide integrated services to
individuals and families in crisis or difficult situations in the form of psychosocial
intervention or direct financial and material assistance.

The AICS Program shall provide its target beneficiaries with transportation
assistance, medical assistance, burial assistance, educational assistance, food
assistance, cash assistance, psychosocial intervention, or referral for other services,
subject to screening, verification, and assessment of the beneficiaries’ needs by social
workers; Provided, that in providing educational assistance, working students in public
education institutions shall be prioritized

SEC. 5. Conditions for Eligibility to Receive AICS Assistance. ~ The client
seeking assistance shall present to the social worker assigned the following documents
as may be necessary to the type of assistance applied for

a) Any valid identification card;
b) Police blotter;

c) Police certification;

d) Medical case study report, medical certificate, or medical abstract;
e) Hospital billing statement or statement of account;

f) Medical prescriptions;

g) Death certificate;

h) Funeral contract;

i) School enrolment assessment form or certificate of registration;

j) School identification card;

k) Travel documents: or


1) Any other supporting documents as may be required in the implementing rules
and regulations of this Act.

SEC. 6. Rates of Assistance. — The range of the rates of assistance per type,
including the frequency with which a beneficiary may avail the same, shall be as follows

SEC. 7. Lead Agency. —

coordinating, implementing, and monitoring body of the Program

TYPE PARTICULARS COST OF ASSISTANCE FREQUENCY
MINIMUM. MAXIMUM OF
fo i |_AVAILMENT
Transportation Land Travel Actual cost based on ticket | Once a year
Assistance | Sea Travel quotation
Air Travel ee
Medical Hospitalization or _ P1,000.00  P150,000.00 | Once every
Assistance hospital bill | - i three months,
Medicines (Out- P 1,000.00 P10,000.00
patient) ee |
Laboratory P1,000.00 | P10,000.00
procedures (Out- t
__patient) _ ee _| —_
Burial | Funeral expenses | P5,000.00 | P25,000.00 | One client may
Assistance Transfer of P5,000.00 P25,000.00 avail two
_____ cadaver | _ | services at the
Casualties during P10,000.00 same time
oo disaster/calamity | =| percasualty |
Educational Elementary P1,000.00 P10,000.00 Once every
Assistance (2 |___ students | ___| school year
children per High School | P1,500.00
family and 3 dents ae ecoal Lo
children for ir High P3,000.00 | Once every
‘solo parent) School or College | semester
Students i
Food Food subsidy for P1,000.00 P5,000.00 | As needed,
Assistance individuals/famities | subject to
_ __. assessment
Cash Otherneeds | P1,000.00 P10,000.00 | Once every
Assistance for | applicable
other support incident
___services__| ! - _
Provision of P1,000.00 P2,000.00 , One every
PPE _three months _

The DSWD shail serve as the central planning,

In the implementation of this Act, the DSWD shall perform the following functions:


a) Screen, verify, and assess the beneficiaries’ situation and the identify the
appropriate intervention to fully serve their situation;

b) Provide the appropriate assistance to the beneficiaries from the array of
benefits enumerated in Section X of this Act;

c) Coordinate with different national and local agencies, including organizations
from the private sector to ensure full implementation of statutory commitments
herein;

d) Submit an annual report to Congress on all aspects of the operations of the
programs, financial status, and other relevant data; and

e) Perform such other functions as may be necessary or incidental to the proper
implementation of this Act;

SEC. 8. Advisory Council. — An Advisory Council shall be created at the regional
and national levels to be headed by the DSWD.

The regional advisory councils and national advisory council (NAC) shall have, as
members, representatives from the DSWD, Department of Health (DOH), Department of
Education (DepEd), Department of Transportation (DOTr), Department of Labor and
Employment (DOLE), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and Technical Education
and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). The regional advisory councils and NAC shall
also have, as additional members, two (2) representatives from accredited
nongovernmental organizations working or monitoring social welfare service programs.

The Advisory Councils shall have the following functions:

(a) Meet regularly to promote coordination across agencies to enhance the
implementation of the program and jointly address and resolve program implementation
issues;

(b) Recommend to the President measures and policies for the responsive delivery
of the commitments under this Act and integration with the general poverty reduction
strategy of government;

(c) Promuigate a grievance redress system and accept complaints and grievances
pertaining to the implementation of the AICS; and

(d) Review the monitoring and assessment reports of the Independent Monitoring
Committee and submit necessary policy recommendations to Congress to improve and
strengthen the program, if necessary.

SEC. 9. Independent Monitoring Committee — An Independent Monitoring
Committee shall be created at the regional, and national levels, composed of
representatives from the private sector and civil society organizations (CSOs) to
complement the monitoring activities of the DSWD and provide feedback for appropriate


action. It shall submit a report on the results of its monitoring activities relative to the
implementation of the program to the respective regional advisory councils and the NAC.
A monitoring and evaluation report shall be submitted to the DSWD and to the Joint
Congressional Oversight Committee at regular intervals, as determined in the
implementing rules and regulations.

SEC. 10. Annual Report of the Program. ~ The DSWD shall annually publish a
full report of the AICS covering the implementation of the previous fiscal year. The said
report shall include financial disclosures, number of clients/beneficiaries served, and
recommendations to the President and to both chambers of Congress on how to further
enhance it. This report shall be submitted to Congress before the submission of the
President's Budget Message.

SEC. 11. Program Transparency. — The DSWD shall regularly and timely post
and update on its website a report of financial disclosures and information about
beneficiaries based on geographical area, social, economic, and cultural circumstances

SEC. 12. Joint Congressional Oversight Committee. - Upon the effectivity of
this Act, a Congressional Oversight Committee, hereafter referred to as the AICS
Oversight Committee is hereby constituted. This Committee shall set the overall
framework to review the implementation of this Act. It shall likewise determine inherent
weaknesses in the law and recommend necessary remedial legislation or executive
measures.

The AICS Oversight Committee shall be composed of six (6) members with the
chairpersons of the Committee on Poverty Alleviation of the House of Representatives,
and the Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development of the Senate as
Co-Chairpersons; and six (2) members from each House, to be designated by the
Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Senate President, respectively.

For purposes of determining remedial legislation, the AICS Oversight Committee
shall, within six (6) years after the effectivity of this Act, conduct a review which shall
include a systematic evaluation of the impact of this Act, accomplishments of the program,
and the performance of its implementing agency

SEC. 13. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — Within one (1) month from the
effectivity of this Act, the Secretary of Social Welfare and Development shall, in
coordination with appropriate government departments and agencies with the
participation of local government units, promulgate the necessary rules and regulations
to carry out the provisions of the Act.

SEC. 14. Appropriation. - The amount necessary to implement this Act shall be
included in the General Appropriations Act of the year following its enactment into law
and thereafter.


SEC. 15. Repealing Clause. — All laws, decrees, orders and rules and regulations
contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or amended
accordingly

SEC. 16. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazette.

Approved,