The House of Representatives on Tuesday, December 16, approved on third and final reading a bill seeking to institutionalize the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program.
Voting 270-8-2 during plenary session, lawmakers gave final approval to House Bill 6636, or the proposed AICS Act.
Under the measure, qualified beneficiaries may receive financial, medical, transportation, food, and material assistance, as well as other support available through the DSWD, including referral services, psychosocial support or intervention, and legal consultation, based on the assessment of DSWD social workers.
The bill defines “target beneficiaries” as “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.”
It also establishes an Integrated Program Delivery System that national agencies and local government units can access to identify available assistance, augment support, and prevent potential abuse of the AICS program. The measure includes penalties to deter misuse.