Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. 2393 
Introduced by HON. MIGUEL LUIS R. VILLAFUERTE, HON. VINCENZO 
RENATO LUIGI R. VILLAFUERTE, HON. TSUYOSHI ANTHONY G. HORIBATA, AND 
HON. TERRY L. RIDON 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Filipinos who are categorized as poor, marginalized, vulnerable, disabled, and 
disadvantaged face a greater socio-economic burden of responding to crisis situations, 
including medical emergencies, disasters, and the sudden death of a relative. As the primary 
agency responsible for providing social protection, the Department of Social Welfare and 
Development (DSWD), through its Crisis Intervention Units (CIU) at its central, field, and 
satellite offices, provides a range of services, such as immediate rescue and provision of direct 
financial assistance, psychosocial support, and material assistance.1 
One of its programs, the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS), has been 
implemented for over a decade and has been pivotal in assisting our kababayans seeking 
timely assistance from the government. In 2023, DSWD reported that 6,587,667 Filipinos 
facing difficult circumstances were provided with assistance, which is more than four times the 
program’s annual target of 1,691,869 beneficiaries.2 DSWD spokesperson Assistant 
Secretary Irene Dumlao said that the agency’s CIU has assisted 953,560 individuals, 
disbursing over P8.5 billion in medical aid in the first half of 2025. Reports also show that since 
its launch in 2014, the AICS medical assistance program has helped over 8.5 million Filipinos.3 
Further, historical data indicate that there has been an increasing number of Filipinos 
seeking assistance under the AICS Program, primarily from remote areas of the country. This 
increasing demand necessitates a higher budget allocation and putting in place efficient 
mechanisms for prompt service delivery.  Additionally, there is a need for the program to 
enhance its systems by maximizing digital platforms to streamline its mechanisms and to 
alleviate abuse in accessing the program. 
Section 9, Article II of the 1987 Constitution provides that “State shall promote a just 
and dynamic social order that will ensure the prosperity and independence of the nation and 
free the people from poverty through policies that provide adequate social services, promote 
full employment, a rising standard of living, and an improved quality of life for all.” Since the 
AICS Program has been proven as an effective intervention for social welfare, this bill seeks 
to ensure the continued and more effective implementation of the program by: 
1 Department of Social Welfare and Development. (2025, February). Memorandum Circular No. 2014-002: Accounting and 
reporting guidelines on the receipt and utilization of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund. 
https://www.dswd.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/MC_2014-002.pdf 
2 People’s Television Network, Inc. (2025, February). Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS): More accessible since 
2022.  https://ptni.gov.ph/assistance-to-individuals-in-crisis-situation-aics-more-accessible-since-20221/ 
3 De Vera-Ruiz, E. (2025, July 16). DSWD medical assistance reaches nearly 1 million Filipinos in first half of 2025. Manila 
Bulletin. https://mb.com.ph/2025/07/16/dswd-medical-assistance-reaches-nearly-1-million-filipinos-in-first-half-of-2025/ 
July 28, 2025
10:30 am


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Institutionalizing the implementation of the AICS Program under the supervision
of DSWD, where beneficiaries shall receive financial, medical, transportation,
food, material assistance, and other assistance, including disability support
services, psychosocial support or intervention, and legal consultation.
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Mandating DSWD to adopt various modes of service delivery, including setting
up satellite venues and maximizing its extension offices.
●
Establishing an Integrated Program Delivery System, which is a real-time data
sharing and centralized database among DSWD, the Philippine Statistics
Authority, Department of Health Malasakit Centers, and local government units.
●
Mandating the Crisis Intervention entities, from the DSWD national office level
down to its satellite offices, to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the
AICS Program.
●
Mandating the DSWD to conduct monitoring and evaluation to assess the
responsiveness of the Program and annually publish its full report.
●
Identifying unlawful acts relating to the implementation of the program and its
corresponding penalties.
●
Requiring the DSWD to pay any public or private entity the amount appearing on
the guarantee letter, coupon, or voucher within three months.
This bill was passed in third reading during the 19th Congress, showing the 
overwhelming support of legislators to institutionalize the AICS Program.  
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
HON. MIGUEL LUIS R. VILLAFUERTE 
HON. VINCENZO RENATO LUIGI R. VILLAFUERTE 
HON. TSUYOSHI ANTHONY G. HORIBATA 
HON. TERRY L. RIDON 


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. 2393 
Introduced by HON. MIGUEL LUIS R. VILLAFUERTE, HON. VINCENZO 
RENATO LUIGI R. VILLAFUERTE, HON. TSUYOSHI ANTHONY G. HORIBATA, AND 
HON. TERRY L. RIDON 
AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING THE ASSISTANCE TO INDIVIDUALS IN CRISIS 
SITUATIONS (AICS) PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WELFARE AND 
DEVELOPMENT, PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR THE VIOLATION OF CERTAIN 
UNLAWFUL ACTS, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled:  
SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the “Assistance to Individuals in Crisis 
Situations (AICS) Act.”  
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is the policy of the State to promote a just and dynamic 
social order, alleviating the plight of the poor through policies that provide adequate social 
services and raise the standard of living for the improved quality of life for all. To this end, the 
State shall provide assistance through projects, programs, and services geared towards 
alleviating poverty and improving the quality of life of every Filipino, especially the marginalized 
sector, and disadvantaged individuals and families.   
SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. – As used in this Act: 
(a) Assistive technology refers to “assistive products” whose primary purpose is to
increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of persons with disabilities, to
enhance overall well-being, and help prevent impairments and secondary health
conditions. These include wheelchairs, prostheses, hearing aids, visual aids, and
specialized computer software and hardware, or any advancement in technologies that
increase mobility, hearing, vision, or communication capacities;
(b) Case management refers to a process of assessing, planning, managing, coordinating,
and advocating for services and other interventions used by the Department of Social
Welfare and Development (DSWD) to improve the capability of qualified beneficiaries
in addressing their needs;
(c) Cash relief assistance refers to an outright cash provided to individuals and families
that are currently in extremely difficult circumstances, such as victims of
calamities/disasters, crimes, victims of violence against women and their children,
trafficking and repatriated overseas Filipino workers and other similar circumstances;
(d) Crisis situation refers to a condition of an individual in a stressful situation that impairs
psychosocial functioning or participation in socio-economic activities, including access


to education, work, and health care, that requires a series of interventions to prevent 
further exposure to vulnerabilities, exploitation, or abuse;  
 
(e) Disability support assistance refers to the monetary support to cover the purchase of 
assistive products, technologies, provision of sign language interpreter, personal 
assistant, maintenance medicines and hygiene needs, life support equipment, and 
other needs of persons with disabilities;  
 
(f) Educational assistance refers to financial assistance extended to all students to help 
defray school expenses and/or cost of sending students/children to school, such as 
school fees augmentation, supplies, projects, allowance, and other related expenses, 
and to eradicate barriers to quality education, including those barriers faced by persons 
on account of their disabilities; 
 
(g) Financial assistance refers to monetary support in the form of outright cash, electronic 
fund transfer, guarantee letter, coupon, check or voucher that has monetary value, 
including funeral assistance, transportation assistance, medical assistance, 
educational assistance, training assistance, food assistance, cash relief assistance, 
and all other types of cash assistance that may be provided under the Program;   
 
(h) Food assistance refers to assistance to those in need due to human-induced and 
natural calamities and those experiencing other forms of crisis or displacement, 
eviction, demolitions or requiring interventions for sector-specific support, which 
include hot meals, food or meal allowance, or the cash equivalent of the required hot 
meals and/or food packs;  
 
(i) Funeral assistance refers to assistance to help defray funeral and related expenses 
such as transfer of cadaver, burial site, and other related expenses incurred by the 
family of the deceased, with consideration to context, cultural, and religious 
backgrounds;   
 
(j) Guarantee letter refers to a document duly approved and issued by the DSWD, which 
ensures the payment of the amount appearing on the document, that the beneficiary 
presents to any public or government-owned or controlled hospitals or other institutions 
and to any similar private entity that is willing to provide services;  
 
(k) Material and other in-kind assistance refers to assistance given to individuals in crisis 
by providing them food and non-food items, non-financial, and the like, and may also 
include other professional assistance available in the DSWD, such as psycho-social 
support and legal consultation;  
 
(l) Medical assistance refers to out-of-pocket expense in the form of coupon, stub, 
guarantee letter, promissory note or voucher that has monetary value, given directly to 
recipients or beneficiaries to pay for hospitalization expenses, other medical 
treatments or procedures, and which include birthing procedure, as well as 
professional fees and consultation fees, purchase of drugs, medicines, goods or other 
services prescribed by the physician of a health facility for in- and out-patients; 
 
(m) Persons with disabilities refer to those who have long-term physical, mental, 
intellectual or sensory impairments that hinder their full and effective participation in 
society on an equal basis with others, including cancer patients and persons living with 
cancer and cancer survivors under Republic Act No. 11215, otherwise known as the 
“National Integrated Cancer Control Act” and persons with rare disease under Republic 
Act No. 10747, otherwise known as the “Rare Diseases Act of the Philippines”; 
 


(n) Target beneficiaries refer to individuals or families who are indigent, financially 
incapacitated, stateless persons, repatriates, deportees, transients, vulnerable, 
disadvantaged, or internally displaced persons, or in crisis situations based on the 
assessment of the social workers of the DSWD; and 
 
(o) Transportation assistance refers to the monetary support to cover the actual cost 
incurred on land, sea, and air travel, including travel insurance and such other related 
expenses as facilitated by the social workers of the DSWD. 
 
SECTION 4. Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS). – To effectively respond 
to the individuals in crisis situation, each qualified target beneficiary shall receive financial, 
medical, transportation, food, material assistance, and other assistance, to include disability 
support services including other professional assistance available in the DSWD, such as 
psychosocial support or intervention for dysfunctional families and their children who need 
trauma care and management, and legal consultation, based on the assessment of the social 
workers of the DSWD.  
 
SECTION 5. Types of Assistance. – The following are the types of assistance that the target 
beneficiaries may receive under the Program based on the assessment and recommendation 
of the social workers, authorized personnel, or any other personnel authorized by the DSWD, 
duly approved by their authorized officials:  
 
(a) Financial assistance – as defined in Section 3, paragraph (g);  
 
(b) Material assistance – a service providing food and non-food items to clients who need 
immediate material support, such as food packs or vouchers, hygiene or sleeping kits, 
and assistive devices and technologies, subject to its availability;  
 
(c) Psychosocial support service – a service provided by trained or professional 
psychosocial support workers to help meet the psychological, emotional, and social 
needs of beneficiaries and their families. It is a set of interventions that intends to 
positively improve a person’s behavior to reduce the impact of stress brought about by 
a crisis through behavioral modification interventions;  
 
(d) Referral service – a service provided when the requested support is not within the 
range of services of the Program through coordination and/or endorsement of the 
beneficiary’s case within the DSWD’s available programs, projects and services and 
to other agencies such as to the Department of Education, Commission on Higher 
Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Department of 
Health (DOH), Public Attorney’s Office, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, 
Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, local government units (LGUs) and 
other government agencies, civil society organizations, and international/non-
government organizations; and 
 
(e) Such other services that the DSWD may deem appropriate. 
 
In order to fully meet the medical needs of individuals in crisis situations, particularly 
persons with disabilities or people with special needs. The DOH may provide the initial costing 
per type of disability for the effective assessment of social workers of the DSWD.  
 
Appropriate documentation as provided for in the DSWD AICS Guidelines shall 
support all disbursements of funds. The DSWD may provide additional assistance or 
discontinue existing ones as it may deem appropriate.  
 


SECTION 6. Modes of Delivery of Services. – The DSWD shall adopt different modes in 
order to deliver efficiently, expeditiously, and effectively the financial or material assistance, 
psychosocial support, and referral service to the clients and communities needing assistance 
from the government such as the following 
 
(a) Service delivery within the Central or Field Offices;   
 
(b) Setting up of an off-site or satellite venues; and  
 
(c) Extension office of the DSWD for the Program.   
 
Provided, That the DSWD shall procure and/or construct a secure office system, 
information and communication technology equipment, and all necessary capital outlay 
expenditures such as vehicles and vaults, among others, needed to efficiently and effectively 
implement the Program.   
 
Provided, further, That the DSWD may also establish an automated system for 
processing and releasing the requested assistance. For this purpose, the appropriations 
needed for the payment of the necessary cash-out fees or other service fees charged by 
partner financial institutions shall form part of the DSWD annual budget under the General 
Appropriations Act.  
 
SECTION 7. Integrated Program Delivery System. – To improve the delivery of service to 
the eligible beneficiaries under the Program, there shall be an established Integrated Program 
Delivery System.  
 
In keeping with the principle of equitable access and ensuring that access to the AICS 
is maximized, a mechanism for real-time data sharing between the DSWD and the LGUs shall 
be institutionalized, subject to the statutory limitations under the Data Privacy Act of 2012. 
Under this mechanism, concerned agencies such as the Philippine Statistics Authority, DOH 
Malasakit Centers, and LGUs may share information from a centralized database in order to 
identify the assistance given to the Program’s eligible beneficiaries, for purposes of assistance 
augmentation and to prevent a possible abuse of the assistance given to those in crisis 
situations. 
 
SECTION 8. Crisis Intervention Office/Division/Unit. – To ensure effective and efficient 
delivery of services to the clients, there shall exist a Crisis Intervention Office (CIO) at the 
Central Office, Crisis Intervention Divisions at the field offices, and Crisis Intervention Units at 
the Social Welfare and Development satellite offices of the DSWD that shall ensure that the 
Program, as enterprise information system, provided herein, is properly implemented, 
monitored, and evaluated nationwide. The office shall monitor and evaluate the 
implementation of the AICS Program and prepare the monitoring and evaluation report for 
submission to the Secretary of the DSWD. The monitoring and evaluation report must be 
available and accessible to any stakeholder at the national, regional, and local levels. 
 
SECTION 9. Personnel Complement. – The Secretary of the DSWD, in coordination with the 
CIO Director at the Central Office and Regional Offices, shall determine the additional 
positions required for the implementation of the program in accordance with the revised 
compensation and position classification system subject to the evaluation and approval of the 
Department of Budget and Management and in compliance with the civil service laws, rules 
and regulations, and other pertinent laws. 
 
SECTION 10. Program Monitoring and Evaluation. – The DSWD shall conduct monitoring 
and evaluation to assess the responsiveness of the Program through the use of applicable 
indicators, frameworks, models, and tools, including a client/stakeholder’s feedback 


mechanism, among others, and the establishment of standard reporting templates and 
procedures in consonance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations.   
 
SECTION 11. Program Transparency and Reporting. – The DSWD shall annually publish 
a full report of the Program covering the implementation of the previous fiscal year and/or 
timely post and update periodically on the DSWD website a report of financial disclosures and 
information about beneficiaries based on geographical area and sectoral category subject to 
the provisions of Republic Act No. 10173, or the “Data Privacy Act of 2012.”   
 
SECTION 12. Unlawful Acts. –   
 
(a) It shall be unlawful for the officials or employees of LGUs, their agents, representatives 
or relatives within the fourth civil degree of consanguinity or affinity to interfere, in any 
manner, in the implementation or delivery of AICS services or funds to qualified 
beneficiaries;  
 
(b) Likewise, it shall be unlawful for any individual or organization to commit the following 
acts:  
 
(i) Defraud the government by issuing or presenting falsified or misleading 
documents, or using false pretenses or other fraudulent acts to acquire the 
assistance provided under this Act;  
 
(ii) Coerce, invite, encourage, or assist persons to seek assistance from the DSWD 
for purposes of acquiring from the beneficiary a portion of the assistance, before 
or after the receipt of assistance;  
 
(iii) Mislead an individual or group to join, pay or cooperate with a group falsely 
representing connection or affiliation with DSWD or falsely promising priority in 
the processing of assistance.  
 
SECTION 13. Penalties. –  
 
(a) Any of the specified person who committed the unlawful act under Section 13 (a) of 
this Act shall be punished by imprisonment of six (6) months. If the offender is an 
official or employee of an LGU, the official or employee shall also be held 
administratively liable; 
 
(b) Any person, group or organization that commits the unlawful acts under Section 13 (b) 
of this Act shall be punished by:  
 
(i) 
For the First Offense- one (1) year suspension from availing any assistance 
from the DSWD; and  
(ii) 
 For the Second Offense – imprisonment of not less than one (1) year but not 
more than six (6) years. 
 
If the offender is an organization, the president, manager, or any officer of the 
organization who participated in the commission of the acts enumerated above or benefited 
therefrom, or both, shall be held liable and shall be punished by imprisonment of not less than 
six (6) years but not more than ten (10) years. This is without prejudice to any action against 
the organization or corporation before the appropriate government agency.  
 
Conspiracy to commit the foregoing unlawful acts shall be penalized by the same 
penalty prescribed under this Section.  
 


In all circumstances, the government shall be authorized to prosecute or to file cases 
on behalf of the private individual defrauded and damaged by the aforementioned acts. Any 
person who was coerced, invited, encouraged or misled while committing the crimes above, 
or any person who has witnessed or has knowledge or information on the commission of the 
crime and has testified or is testifying or about to testify before any judicial or quasi-judicial 
body, or before any investigating authority, may be admitted into the witness protection 
program: Provided, That to become a state witness for this crime, the said person shall not be 
the most guilty.    
 
A public official or personnel who commits, abets, or aids in the commission of any of 
the Unlawful Acts provided herein shall be liable under the Revised Penal Code and other 
existing penal laws. Administrative sanctions shall be imposed without prejudice to 
prosecution in the proper courts.   
 
SECTION 14. Cash Equivalents. – It shall be mandatory for any public or private entity that 
provides services under this Program to accept the guarantee letter, coupon, check, or 
voucher issued by the DSWD as full or partial payment of the obligation of the qualified 
beneficiary.   
 
The DSWD must, within three (3) months from the date of acceptance, pay the public 
or private entity of the amount appearing on the guarantee letter, coupon, or voucher.   
 
SECTION 15. Joint Congressional Oversight Committee. – A congressional oversight 
committee is constituted to monitor, set the overall framework, and review the implementation 
of this Act. The committee shall determine the inherent weaknesses in the law and recommend 
necessary remedial legislation or executive measures.   
 
The oversight committee is composed of five (5) Senators and five (5) Representatives 
to be appointed by the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, 
respectively, and co-chaired by the Chairpersons of the Committee on Social Justice, Welfare 
and Rural Development of the Senate and the Committee on Social Services of the House of  
Representatives. The four (4) other members from the Senate and House of Representatives 
shall be composed of three (3) members from each of the aforementioned committees, and 
one (1) from the minority.  
 
For purposes of determining remedial legislation, the oversight committee shall, within 
two (2) 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 
the implementing agencies. 
 
SECTION 16. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – Within six (6) months from the 
effectivity of this Act, the Secretary of the DSWD shall, in consultation with the Secretary of 
the DOH and the Commission on Audit, promulgate the necessary rules and regulations to 
carry out the provisions of this Act.  
 
SECTION 17. Appropriations. – The amount necessary for the initial implementation of this 
Act shall be charged against the current year’s appropriations of DSWD. Thereafter, such 
amount necessary for the continued implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual 
General Appropriations Act.  
 
SECTION 18. Separability Clause. – If any provision or part of this Act is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remaining parts or provisions not affected shall remain in full force and 
effect.   
 


SECTION 19. Repealing Clause. – All laws, presidential decrees or issuances, executive 
orders, letters of instructions, administrative orders, rules, and regulations or parts thereof 
contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are amended, repealed, or modified 
accordingly.   
 
SECTION 20. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in 
the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.  
 
 
Approved,