REPRES

Caen
fy” E-Filed 7
Republic of the Philippines [> RECEIVED <2)
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. = DATE July 13,2022
Batasan Hills, Quezon City . TIME 4:57pm *
NINETEENTH CONGRESS eS BY Revi fy
First Regular Session FF
House Bill No.__1940__ Lo inv

Introduced by

HON. YEDDA MARIE K. ROMUALDEZ
and
HON. JUDE A. ACIDRE

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

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The 1987 Constitution mandates the State to “free the people from
poverty through policies that provide adequate social services.” To uphold this,
this bill seeks to institutionalize the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation
(AICS) Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development
(DSWD).

AICS is social safety net or stop-gap measure to support the recovery of
individuals and families who are indigent, vulnerable, disadvantaged or are
otherwise in crisis situation. It provides psychosocial intervention through
therapies; direct financial or material assistance which enables such individuals
and families to meet their basic needs in the form of food, transportation,
medical, educational, or burial assistance; and, referral to other services of
other national government agencies.


For this purpose, this bill seeks to institute a permanent program under
the DSWD to enhance the existing program and continue providing immediate
relief to marginalized and indigent individuals and families.

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

Rep. YEDDA MARIE K. ROMUALDEZ
Representative 4Tingog Sinirangan

. ACIDRE
ive, Tingog Sinirangan


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Batasan Hills, Quezon City

NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. __ 1940

Introduced by

HON. YEDDA MARIE K. ROMUALDEZ
and
HON. JUDE A. ACIDRE

AN ACT
INSTITUTIONALIZING THE ASSISTANCE TO INDIVIDUALS IN CRISIS
SITUATION (AICS) PROGRAM AND PROVIDING 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 Situation (AICS) Act.”

Section 2. Declaration of Policy. \t 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.

Section 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 tor 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 a

series of interventions to prevent further exposure to vulnerabilities,

exploitation, and abuse;

d) Education 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 eighty pesos (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 procedure, or
professional fee:

9)

Target Beneficiaries refer 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.

Section 4. The Assistance to Individuals in Crisis (AICS) Program. The
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, education 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 education assistance, working students in public
education institutions shall be prioritized.

Section 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;

¢

Police certification,

d) Medical case study report, medical certificate, or medical abstract;

2

f) Medical prescriptions;
g) Death certificate;

h) Funeral contract;

Hospital billing statement or statement of account;

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.

Section 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:
COST OF FREQUENCY
TYPE PARTICULARS ASSISTANCE OF
MINIMUM | MAXIMUM AVAILMENT
Transportation | Land Travel Actual cost based on | Once (1) a year
Assistance Sea Travel ticket quotation
Air Travel
Medical [Hospitalization or | 1,000.00 | P150,000.00 | Once every
Assistance Hospital Bill three (3) months
Medicines (out. | 1,000.00 | #10,000.00

patient)



Laboratory
Procedures —(out-
patient)

P1,000.00 | P 10,000.00

Burial Funeral Expenses _| 5,000.00 | P25,000.00 {A client may
Assistance Transfer of Cadaver | 5,000.00 | P25,000.00 | avail two (2)
Casualties during | # 10,000.00 per casualty | services at the
disaster/calamity same time
Educational Elementary 1,000.00 | P10,000.00 | Once (1) every
Assistance Students ‘school year
High school | P1,500.00 | #10,000.00
students
Senior High School | 3,000.00 | P10,000.00 | Once (1) every
or College Students semester
Food Food Subsidy for | P1,000.00 | P5,000.00 | As needed,
Assistance individuals or ‘subject to
families assessment
Cash Other needs. 1,000.00 | #10,000.00 | Once every
Assistance for applicable
other support incident
services
Provision of 1,000.00 | P2,000.00 One (1) every
PPEs three (3) months

Section 7. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as the
Lead Agency. The DSWD shall serve as the central planning, coordinating,
implementing, and monitoring of the AICS Program.
In the implementation of this Act, the DSWD shall perform the following

functions:

a) Screen, verify, and access the situation of the beneficiaries and 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 6 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

program, 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.

Section 8. Creation of Advisory Councils. An Advisory Council shall be
created at the regional and national levels to be headed by the DSWD.

The regional advisory councils (RACs) 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 RACs
and NAC shall also have, as additional members, two (2) representatives from
accredited non-governmental 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 of the Philippines measures and policies for
the responsive delivery of the commitments under this Act and integration
with the general poverty reduction strategy of the government;

°)

Promulgate a grievance redress system and accept complaints and
grievances pertaining to the implementation of the program;
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.

Section 9. Creation of 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 (CSO) 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.

Section 10. Annual Report of the Program. The DSWD shail 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.

Section 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 graphical area, social, economic, and cultural circumstances.

Section 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 (6) 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 legislations, 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 programs, and the performance of its implementing agency.

Section 13. /mplementing 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 this Act.

Section 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.

Section 15. Aepealing Clause. All laws, decrees, orders, rules, and
regulations contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby

repealed or amended accordingly.

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

Approved,