Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Constitution Hills, Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
Second Regular Session 
House Bill No._____ 
_____________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by: REPRESENTATIVE EDWIN L. OLIVAREZ 
AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING THE ASSISTANCE TO 
INDIVIDUALS IN CRISIS SITUATION (AICS) PROGRAM AND 
PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) Program of the 
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has proven to be 
one of the effective tools of the government in poverty alleviation, most 
especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Since its inception in 2014, the 
AICS Program has provided immediate and temporary assistance to 
individuals and families who are affected by various crises.  Over time, the 
DSWD has effectively and efficiently enhanced the implementation of the 
Program in order to reach its yearly target. 
The Program has provided financial, emotional, psychosocial support 
to individuals and families who have experienced crisis or unexpected life 
event by extending the following benefits: 
1. Transportation benefits by purchasing or paying transport expenses
to enable individuals and families to return to their home provinces
permanently or seek further medical interventions in another place,
or attend to emergency concerns, such as death, care, or other
emergency or critical situations of family members, relatives, or
other individuals in need.  This also include expenses related to
attendance in a court hearing, rescue of abused relative, etc.;
September 13, 2023
6:06 pm
9146


2. Medical benefits by extending assistance to defray hospitalization
expenses including professional fees and cost of medicine, treatment
and/or procedure;
3. Burial benefits by funding funeral and related expenses;
4. Educational benefits by giving eligible students assistance in
defraying school expenses, which includes school fees, supplies,
projects, allowances, and other related expenses;
5. Food benefits by provision of assistance for a maximum period of
ten (10) days or an amount of at least P80.00 per meal per individual.
The AICS Program has also provided cash assistance for other support 
services for victims of natural and/or man-made crisis or calamity, domestic 
abuse, locally stranded individuals and other incidents. 
This Bill seeks to institutionalize the AICS Program to convert these 
methods of immediate and temporary relief into a permanent solution that has 
the financial and administrative capability to sustain such assistance to the 
marginalized sector and persons dealing with extreme circumstances. 
Thus, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
EDWIN L. OLIVAREZ 


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Constitution Hills, Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
Second Regular Session 
House Bill No._____ 
_____________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by: REPRESENTATIVE EDWIN L. OLIVAREZ 
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 policy of the 
State to protect the interest of the poor, disadvantaged, vulnerable, and 
marginalized sectors of the society by providing immediate assistance to 
individuals and families who are facing crises and in need of prompt 
intervention. 
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 the
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
family are faced with a different and stressful situation, resulting to the 
impairment of his/their psychosocial functioning, and thereby necessitating 
series of interventions to prevent further exposure to vulnerabilities, 
exploitation, and abuse; 
9146


d)  
Educational Assistance refers to the assistance given to students 
to help defray school expenses and/or cost of sending students/children to 
school; 
 
e)  
Food Assistance refers to assistance for a maximum period of ten 
(10) days or an amount of at least P80.00 per meal per individual; 
 
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 (AlCS) 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. Requirements to Avail AICS Assistance. – The individual or 
family 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 
I)  
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 
PARTICULAR 
COST OF ASSISTANCE 
MAXIMUM 
FREQUENCY 
OF 
AVAILMENT 
Transportation 
Assistance 
Land travel 
Sea Travel 
Air Travel 
Actual cost based on ticket 
quotation 
Once a year 
Medical Assistance 
Hospitalization or 
Hospital bill 
Medicines (out- 
patient) 
Laboratory 
procedures (out-
patient) 
P 1,000.00 
P 1,000.00 
P 1,000.00 
P 150,000.00 
P 10,000.00 
P 10,000.00 
Once every 
three months 
Burial Assistance 
Funeral expenses 
Transfer of 
cadaver 
Casualties during 
disaster/ calamity 
P 5,000.00 
P 5,000.00 
 
P 25,000.00 
P 25,000.00 
 
P 10,000.00 
per casualties 
One client 
may avail two 
services at the 
same time 
Educational 
Assistance (2 
children per family 
Elementary 
Students 
High School 
students 
P 1,000.00 
 
P 1,500.00 
 
P 10,000.00 
Once every 
school year 
 


and 3 children for 
solo parent) 
Senior High 
School or College 
students 
P 3,000.00 
Once every 
semester 
Food Assistance 
Food subsidy for 
individuals/ 
families 
P 1,000.00 
P 5,000.00 
As needed 
subject to 
assessment 
Cash Assistance  for 
other support 
services 
Other needs 
P 1,000.00 
P 10,000.00 
Once every 
applicable 
incident 
Provision of PPE 
 
P 1,000.00 
P 2,000.00 
One every 
three months 
 
SEC. 7. DSWD as 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 6 of this Act; 
 
c) Coordinate with different national and local agencies, including 
organizations from the private sector to ensure full implementation of 
statutory commitment 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. Creation of an 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 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 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. Creation of an 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. Publiction of 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 (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 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,