Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
Third Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ______ 
Introduced by Representatives Lord Allan Jay Q. Velasco and 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 
October 29, 2021
9:01 am
10428


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. 
LORD ALLAN JAY Q. VELASCO 
STELLA LUZ A. QUIMBO 


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
Third Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ______ 
Introduced by Representatives Lord Allan Jay Q. Velasco and 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. – It is 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; 
c) 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; 
10428


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
l)
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: 
TYPE 
PARTICULARS 
COST OF ASSISTANCE 
FREQUENCY 
OF 
AVAILMENT 
MINIMUM 
MAXIMUM 
Transportation 
Assistance 
Land Travel 
Actual cost based on ticket 
quotation 
Once a year 
Sea Travel 
Air Travel 
Medical 
Assistance 
Hospitalization or 
hospital bill 
P1,000.00 
P150,000.00 
Once 
every 
three months 
Medicines 
(Out-
patient) 
P1,000.00 
P10,000.00 
Laboratory 
procedures (Out-
patient) 
P1,000.00 
P10,000.00 
Burial 
Assistance 
Funeral expenses 
P5,000.00 
P25,000.00 
One 
client 
may avail two 
services at the 
same time 
Transfer 
of 
cadaver 
P5,000.00 
P25,000.00 
Casualties during 
disaster/calamity 
P10,000.00 
per casualty 
Educational 
Assistance (2 
children 
per 
family and 3 
children 
for 
solo parent) 
Elementary 
students 
P1,000.00 
P10,000.00 
Once 
every 
school year 
High 
School 
students 
P1,500.00 
Senior 
High 
School or College 
Students 
P3,000.00 
Once 
every 
semester 
Food 
Assistance 
Food subsidy for 
individuals/families 
P1,000.00 
P5,000.00 
As 
needed, 
subject 
to 
assessment 
Cash 
Assistance for 
other support 
services 
Other needs 
P1,000.00 
P10,000.00 
Once 
every 
applicable 
incident 
Provision 
of 
PPE 
P1,000.00 
P2,000.00 
One 
every 
three months 
SEC. 7. Lead Agency. –  The DSWD shall serve as the central planning, 
coordinating, implementing, and monitoring body of the Program. 
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) Promulgate 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,