NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC )
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
SENATE
S.B. No. 1821
g'cnntf
of fl)f iTl'Ml'P
23 JAN 31 PAW
RECEI'.'ED BY;
Introduced by: Senator RaffyT. Tulfo
AN ACT
INSTITUTIONALIZING THE ASSISTANCE TO INDIVIDUALS IN CRISIS 
SITUATION (AICS) PROGRAM AND PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR
EXPLANATORY NOTE
As a developing nation, the Philippines faces a range of challenges that require 
both short and long-term solutions. To help families struggling with basic needs and 
unexpected expenses like medical or funeral costs, the country needs safety net 
programs to support the people.
One of the most pressing issues in the Philippines is poverty, with 17.6 million 
Filipinos living below the poverty line as of 2018. The hunger rate in the country is 
alarmingly high, with 13.6 percent of Filipinos, or 3.4 million people, experiencing 
hunger between April and June of 2021. The average family income in the Philippines, 
which is around P26,000 per month or P313,000 per year, is considered, without a 
doubt, insufficient.
This bill seeks to establish the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) 
program which would involve making the program a permanent and ongoing part of 
the government's social welfare and protection efforts. This bill also ensures that 
individuals and families affected by crisis situations, such as natural disasters.


economic hardships, or health emergencies, have access to the support and resources 
they need to recover and rebuild their lives.
Fortunately, the Department of Social Welfare and Development launched the 
Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation Program even before the pandemic to offer 
prompt assistance to the marginalized sector should they encounter challenging 
circumstances. Thus, this measure aims to institutionalize the aforementioned 
program in order to develop a long-term national program that is financially and 
administratively equipped to meet Filipinos' requirements in the event of an 
emergency.
With enough safeguards to protect th^.-ngfite of our ci 
this bill is earnestly sought.
Raffy T. T
Senator


NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC )
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
SENATE
S. No. 1821
of tiu'
23 JAN 31 P4:09
Rl-XEiVrDBV:
Introduced by: Senator Raffy T. Tulfo
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:
1 
Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Assistance to Individuals
2 
in Crisis Situation (AICS) Act".
3 
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared a policy of the State to provide
4 
immediate relief to all individuals in extreme and difficult situations. Priority attention
5 
shall be given to the poor, vulnerable, and marginalized sectors of the society. Such
6 
assistance to be given to the individuals and families who need immediate intervention
7 
will allow them to access basic services in order to fully recover from their dire situations.
8 
Sec. 3. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act, the following terms are defined,
9 
as follows:
10 
a) Burial Assistance - refers to the assistance to defray funeral and related
11 
expenses;
12 
b) Cash assistance - for other support services refers to an assistance
13 
provided to individuals and families in extremely difficult circumstances in


1 
which the need does not fall on other types of assistance;
2 
c) Crisis Situation - refers to a condition whereby an individual or group of
3 
persons are faced with a different and stressful situation, resulting to the
4 
impairment of his/her psychosocial functioning, and thereby needing
5 
series of interventions to prevent further exposure to vulnerabilities,
6 
exploitation, and abuse;
7 
d) Educational Assistance - refers to the assistance given to eligible students
8 
to help defray school expenses and/or cost of sending students/children
9 
to school;
10 
e) Food assistance - refers to the assistance to beneficiaries amounting to
11 
at least P80.00 per meal per individual for meals;
12 
f) Medical Assistance - refers to assistance to help shoulder hospitalization
13 
expenses, cost of medicines, other medical treatment or procedures, or
14 
professional fees;
15 
g) Target beneficiaries - refers to individuals and/or families who are
16 
indigent, vulnerable, disadvantaged, or are otherwise in crisis situation
17 
based on the assessment of the Social Workers; 
and
18 
h) Transportation Assistance - refers to the assistance for the purchase or
19 
payment of transport tickets and/or expenses to enable the beneficiaries
20 
to return to their home provinces permanently or seek further medical
21 
interventions in another place, or to attend to emergency concerns 
or
22 
critical situations of family members or other individuals in need.
23 
Sec. 4. The Assistance to Individuals in Crisis {AICS) Program. - The Assistance
24 
to Individuals in Crisis (AICS) Program shall provide integrated services to individuals
25 
and families in crisis or difficult situations in the form of psychosocial intervention or
26 
direct financial and material assistance.
27 
The AICS Program shall provide its target beneficiaries with transportation
28 
assistance, medical assistance, burial assistance, educational assistance, food assistance,
29 
cash assistance, psychosocial intervention, or referral for other services, subject to
30 
screening, verification, and assessment of the beneficiaries' needs by social workers;


1 
Provided, that in providing educational assistance, working students in public education
2 
institutions shall be prioritized.
3 
Sec. 5. Conditions for Eiigibiiity to Receive AICS Assistance. - The client seeking
4 
assistance shall present to the social worker assigned the following documents as may be
5 
necessary to the type of assistance applied for:
6 
a) Any valid identification card;
7 
b) Police blotter;
8 
c) Police certification;
9 
d) Medical case study report, medical certificate, or medical abstract;
10 
e) Hospital billing statement or statement of account;
11 
f) Medical prescriptions;
12 
g) Death certificate;
13 
h) Funeral contract;
14 
i) School enrolment assessment form or certificate of registration;
15 
j) School identification card;
16 
k) Travel documents; or
17 
I) Any other supporting documents as may be required in the implementing rules and
18 
regulations of this Act.
19 
Sec. 6. Rates of Assistance. - The range of the rates of assistance per type,
20 
including the frequency with which a beneficiary may avail the same, shall be as
21 
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
P1,000
P150,000
Once every


hospital bill
three months
Medicines (Out­
patient)
PI,000
P10,000
Laboratory
procedures (Out­
patient)
P1,000
P10,000
Burial Assistance
Funeral expenses
P5,000
P25,000
One client may
avail two
services at the
same time
Transfer of cadaver
P5,000
P25,000
Casualties during
disaster/calamity
P10,000 per
casualty
Educational
Assistance (2
children per family
and 3 children for
solo parent)
Elementary students
P1,000
P10,000
Once every
school year
High School
students
PI,500
Once every
semester
Senior High School
or College students
P3,000
Food Assistance
Food subsidy for
individuals/families
P1,000
P5,000
As needed,
subject to
assessment
Cash Assistance for
other support
services
Other needs
PI,000
P10,000
Once every
applicable
incident
Provision of PPE
P1,000
P2,000
One every three


months
1 
SEC. 7. Lead Agency. - The DSWD shall serve as the central planning,
2 
coordinating, implementing, and monitoring body of the Program.
3 
In the implementation of this Act, the DSWD shall perform the following
4 
functions;
5 
a) Screen, verify, and assess the beneficiaries' situation and the identify the
6 
appropriate intervention to fully serve their situation;
7 
b) Provide the appropriate assistance to the beneficiaries from the array of benefits
8 
enumerated in Section X of this Act;
9 
c) Coordinate with different national and local agencies, including organizations from
10 
the private sector to ensure full implementation of statutory commitments herein;
11 
d) Submit an annual report to Congress on all aspects of the operations of the
12 
programs, financial status, and other relevant data; and
13 
e) Perform such other functions as may be necessary or incidental to the proper
14 
implementation of this Act;
15 
Sec. 8. Advisory Council. - An Advisory Council shall be created at the regional and
16 
national levels to be headed by the DSWD.
17 
The regional advisory councils and national advisory council (NAC) shall have, as
18 
members, representatives from the DSWD, Department of Health (DOH), Department of
19 
Education (DepEd), Department of Transportation (DOTr), Department of Labor and
20 
Employment (DOLE), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and Technical Education
21 
and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). The regional advisory councils and NAC shall
22 
also have, as additional members, two (2) representatives from accredited
23 
nongovernmental organizations working or monitoring social welfare service programs.
24 
The Advisory Councils shall have the following functions;
25 
(a) Meet regularly to promote coordination across agencies to enhance the
26 
implementation of the program and jointly address and resolve program
27 
implementation issues;


1 
(b) Recommend to the President measures and policies for the responsive delivery of
2 
the commitments under this Act and integration with the general poverty reduction
3 
strategy of government;
4 
(c) Promulgate a grievance redress system and accept complaints and grievances
5 
pertaining to the implementation of the AICS; and
6 
(d) Review the monitoring and assessment reports of the Independent Monitoring
7 
Committee and submit necessary policy recommendations to Congress to improve
8 
and strengthen the program, if necessary.
9 
Sec. 9. Independent Monitoring Committee. - An Independent Monitoring
10 
Committee shall be created at the regional, and national levels, composed of
11 
representatives from the private sector and civil society organizations (CSOs) to
12 
complement the monitoring activities of the DSWD and provide feedback for appropriate
13 
action. It shall submit a report on the results of its monitoring activities relative to the
14 
implementation of the program to the respective regional advisory councils and the NAC.
15 
A monitoring and evaluation report shall be submitted to the DSWD and to the Joint
16 
Congressional Oversight Committee at regular intervals, as determined in the
17 
implementing rules and regulations.
18 
Sec. 10. Annuai Report of the Program. -The DSWD shall annually publish a full
19 
report of the AICS covering the implementation of the previous fiscal year. The said report
20 
shall include financial disclosures, number of clients/beneficiaries served, and
21 
recommendations to the President and to both chambers of Congress on how to further
22 
enhance it. This report shall be submitted to Congress before the submission of the
23 
President's Budget Message.
24 
Sec. 11. Program Transparency. - The DSWD shall regularly and timely post and
25 
update on its website a report of financial disclosures and information about beneficiaries
26 
based on geographical area, social, economic, and cultural circumstances.
27 
Sec. 12. Joint Congressionai Oversight Committee. - Upon the effectivity of this
28 
Act, a Congressional Oversight Committee, hereafter referred to as the AICS Oversight
29 
Committee, is hereby constituted. This Committee shall set the overall framework to
30 
review the implementation of this Act. It shall likewise determine inherent weaknesses in
31 
the law and recommend necessary remedial legislation or executive measures.
32 
The AICS Oversight Committee shall be composed of six (6) members with the


1 
chairpersons of the Committee on Poverty Alleviation of the House of Representatives,
2 
and the Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development of the Senate as
3 
Co-Chairpersons; and six (2) members from each House, to be designated by the Speaker
4 
of the House of Representatives, and the Senate President, respectively.
5 
For purposes of determining remedial legislation, the AICS Oversight Committee
6 
shall, within six (6) years after the effectivity of this Act, conduct a review which shall
7 
include a systematic evaluation of the impact of this Act, accomplishments of the program,
8 
and the performance of its implementing agency.
9 
Sec. 13. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within one (1) month from the
10 
effectivity of this Act, the Secretary of Social Welfare and Development shall, in
11 
coordination with appropriate government departments and agencies with the
12 
participation of local government units, promulgate the necessary rules and regulations
13 
to carry out the provisions of the Act.
14 
Sec. 14. Appropriation. - The amount necessary to implement this Act shall be
15 
included in the General Appropriations Act of the year following its enactment into law
16 
and thereafter.
17 
Sec. 15. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders and rules and regulations
18 
contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or amended
19 
accordingly.
20 
Sec. 16. Effectivity. -This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication
21 
in the Official Gazette.
Approved,