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Republic of the Philippines [o}
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. 6268,

Introduced by 2"! District of Aguaan del Norte Representative
HON. DALE B. CORVERA

AN ACT
INSTITUTIONALIZING THE ASSISTANCE TO INDIVIDUALS IN CRISIS.
SITUATION PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WELFARE
AND DEVELOPMENT, PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR THE VIOLATION
OF CERTAIN UNLAWFUL ACTS, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS
THEREFOR

EXPLANATORY NOTE

‘The Philippines is a developing country currently facing diverse socio-economic
challenges in need of immediate and comprehensive solutions. In 2021, the preliminary results
of the Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) of the Philippine Statistics Authority
(PSA) showed that poverty incidence, defined as the proportion of Filipinos whose per capita
income cannot sufficiently meet the individual basic food and non-food needs, reached 18.1%.
This means that 19.99 million Filipinos or approximately 3.5 million families are living below
the current poverty threshold of P12,030 per month for a family with five members. This shows
arise of around 3 million when compared to 2018 poverty incidence data. In a poll conducted
by the Social Weather Station (SWS) last June of 2022, 11.6% or 2.9 million Filipinos
experienced “involuntary hunger” or hunger experienced due to the lack of food to eat. This
number, despite being 0.2% lower than the 2021 record, is still higher than the pre-pandemic
annual average of 9.3% in 2019.

With regard to wages, PSA records reveal that the average annual family income fell
from P313,350 in 2018 to P307,190 in 2021 or equivalent to monthly income of P25,599.17
In the case of families in the lowest income decile, they have it even worse at P116,020 or
9,668.33 monthly. The same records also show increased national inflation rates in the same
period and the consequent decline of Philippine peso’s purchasing power. In 2020 and 2021,
inflation rates were at 2.4% and 3.9% respectively. The August 2022 Summary Inflation Report
of PSA indicated a 6.3% rise in prices which means Filipinos get less in return for their money
when purchasing

‘These figures indicate that an ordinary Filipino worker does not have the full capability
to address personal emergencies such as hospitalization costs or even burial expenses. Living
merely with a tight budget for primary food and essential needs, itis difficult for individuals


to save funds for unexpected and unwelcomed events that may happen to them and their loved
ones,

It is more alarming that the Philippines has been ranked first in the World Risk Index
2022, which is a tool used to assess and estimate the disaster risk of a country, using both
external and internal hazard factors, including cyclones, floods, droughts, sea level rise and
societal conditions. Affected individuals are driven closer to poverty through spending more
than what they have to deal with crisis situations

Section 9, Article II of the 1987 Constitution mandates the State to free the people from
poverty through policies that provide adequate social services. In line with this provision, the
establishment of a social program to swiftly aid people in difficult circumstances or emergency
conditions is crucial and important.

The Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program is a social safety net
or stop-gap measure of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to
support recovery of individuals and families who are indigent, vulnerable, disadvantaged or
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. The grant of AICS is a component of
DSWD’s protective services program for the marginalized as part of its technical assistance
and resource augmentation support to local government units and other partners in promoting
the general welfare. Its existence, as a safeguard social services program, benefited hundreds
of thousands of disadvantaged Filipinos through the delivery of public service assistance for
their urgent concems.

In view of the significance of a safety net or stop-gap mechanism, this bill aims to
institutionalize the AICS program under the DSWD to help remedy the country's need for
social protection and welfare services program that will provide immediate relief in the event
of emergencies to indigents, vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals and families.



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. 6268

Introduced by 2" District of Agusan del Norte Representative
HON. DALE B. CORVERA

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

SEC. 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
Towards 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.

SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. — As used in this Act:

a. Assistive Devices and Technologies refer to those whose primary purpose is to
maintain or improve an individual’s functioning and independence to facilitate
participation and 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. Burial 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;


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 enable the qualified
beneficiaries to improve their functioning by dealing with their difficulties in
addressing their needs;

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 series of
interventions to prevent further exposure to vulnerabilities, exploitation or abuse;

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;

Educational assistance refers to financial assistance extended to elementary, high
school, and college 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;

Financial assistance refers to monetary support in the form of outright cash,
guarantee letter, coupon, check or voucher that has monetary value, including
burial assistance, transportation assistance, medical assistance, educational
assistance, training assistance, food assistance, assistance for other support
services and other allied assistance or physical aid such as food, clothing, and
assistive devices and technologies;

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;

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 entities and to any similar private entity that is willing to provide services
on credit and enter into partnership agreement with DSWD;

Material and other assistance refers to an assistance given to individuals in crisis
by providing them non-food items, non-financial, and the likes, and may also
include other professional assistance available in the DSWD, such as psycho-
social support and legal consultation;


k. 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 be used to pay for hospitalization
expenses, other medical treatments or procedures, as well as professional fees and
consultation fees, for the purchase of drugs, medicines, goods or other services
prescribed by the physician of a health facility for in- and out-patients;

1. 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 “National Integrated Cancer Control Act” and
persons with rare disease under Republic Act No. 10747, otherwise known as
“Rare Diseases Act of the Philippines”;

m. Target Beneficiaries refer to individuals or families who are indigent, vulnerable,
disadvantaged, or internally displaced persons or in crisis situation based on the
assessment of the social workers of the DSWD; and

n. 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.

SEC. 4. Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS). ~ To effectively
respond to the needs of the crisis, 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.

For purposes of this Act, the provision of medical assistance by the Department of
Health (DOH) and its health facilities shall be harmonized with that being provided by the
DSWD and other agencies. Towards this end, Republic Act No. 11463, also known as the
Malasakit Centers Act, shall have suppletory effect for purposes of streamlining the grant of
medical and financial assistance to eligible beneficiaries at the Malasakit Centers, and to
prevent duplication in providing medical assistance to beneficiaries in crisis situation.

SEC. 5. Type, Kind and Amount of Financial Assistance. — The type, kind and
amount of assistance that the target beneficiaries may receive are based on the assessment
and recommendation of the social workers or authorized personnel of the DSWD, duly
approved by their authorized officials. The transportation assistance of qualified target
beneficiaries who come from geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas shall be
considered.

In order to fully meet the medical needs of individuals in crisis situation, particularly
persons with disabilities or people with special needs such as persons with spinal cord injury
who need catheter and urine bag that entail additional costs, the DOH may provide the initial
costing per type of disability for the effective assessment of social workers of the DSWD.


Aside from the regular AICS referral for other services such as legal services,
psychosocial interventions, and admission to residential facilities or temporary shelter,
referral system for financial assistance augmentation may be ut by the DSWD.

Appropriate documentation as provided for in the DSWD AICS Guidelines shall
support all disbursements of funds.

A social case study report is required of those whose assistance is higher than ten
thousand pesos (P10,000.00)

SEC. 6. Provision of Assistance Through Adoptive Means. ~ The DSWD shall adopt
means in order to efficiently, expeditiously and effectively deliver the financial and material
assistance to the clients and communities needing assistance from the government, such as
establishment of a mobile command center at the DSWD Central Office and in all regions,
establishing an automated system of processing the request for assistance as well as the
releasing of the assistance to the beneficiaries, and building a unified information system,
payment for the necessary service fees or financial charges for the delivery of assistance, and
others.

SEC. 7. Case Management System. — There shall be an established case management
system to improve service delivery of the AICS to the qualified beneficiaries.

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 and LGUs may share information from a
centralized database in order to identify the assistance given to a qualified beneficiary, for
purposes of assistance augmentation and to prevent a possible abuse of the assistance given
to those in crisis situations.

SEC 8. Crisis Intervention Program Management Office (CIPMO). — A Crisis
Intervention Program Management Office is created at the Central Office of the Department
of Social Welfare and Development. The office shall monitor and evaluate the
implementation of 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.

SEC. 9. Additional Plantilla Positions. — The DSWD shall create the required
plantilla and staffing pattern necessary for the implementation of this Act, in coordination
with the Department of Budget and Management and the Civil Service Commission.

SEC. 10. Personnel Complement. — The CIPMO Central Office, the Crisis
Intervention Sections, and the Social Welfare and Development Satellite Offices that
implement AICS programs shall be adequately staffed by licensed social workers and support
staff. The CIPMO program director at the Central Office and the regional directors in the
field offices shall appoint and assign the necessary personnel for the effective implementation
of the AICS program.


SEC. 11. Unlawful Acts and Penalties. - It shall be unlawful for any individual or
organization to:

a. 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;

b. Coerce, invite or encourage 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;

. 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.

Any person, group or organization who commits any of the foregoing unlawful acts
shall be punished by imprisonment of not less than one (1) year but not more than six (6)
years and a fine of not less than but not more than double the amount of the assistance, at the
discretion of the court. If the offender is an organization, the president, manager, or any
officer of the organization who participated in the commission of the acts above enumerated
or benefited therefrom, or both, shall be held liable

Any person who were 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, he/she
shall not be the most guilty.

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 and review
the implementation of this Act. It shall likewise determine the inherent weaknesses in the law
and recommend necessary remedial legislation or executive measures.

The oversight committee shall be 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.

For purposes of determining remedial legislation, the oversight committee shall,
within three (3) 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.

SEC. 13. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — Within six (6) months from the
effectivity of this Act, the Secretary of the DSWD in consultation with the Secretary of the
DOH and the Commission on Audit (COA), shall promulgate the necessary rules and
regulations to carry out the provisions of this Act.


SEC. 14. Appropriations. — The amount necessary for the initial implementation of
this Act shall be charged against the current year’s appropriations of DSWD. Thereafter, such
sum as may be necessary for the continued implementation of this Act shall be included in
the annual General Appropriations Act, including the payment for the necessary service fees,
financial charges, or administrative cost, and capital outlay for the establishment of the
necessary offices for the delivery of assistance.

SEC. 15. 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.

SEC. 16. Repealing Clause. ~ All laws, presidential decrees or issuances, executive
orders, letter 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.

SEC. 17. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication
in the Official Gazette or in a national newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,