The House Committee on Social Services formed Monday a technical working group that would flesh out the provisions of the draft substitute bill seeking to institutionalize the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
The House panel, chaired by Quezon City 5th District Rep. Alfred Vargas created the TWG panel to sit down with concerned stakeholders to tackle the
measure, which substitutes House Bill No. 4469, principally authored by Camarines Norte 2nd district Rep. Marisol Panotes.
The TWG will be headed by Misamis Occidental 1st District Rep. Diego Ty.
"We want to come up with the best possible version of this bill because the Chair and the committee find this bill as very, very important one specially during this time,” Vargas said.
During the hearing, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) raised concern over Section 4 of the draft substitute measure, which provides that the DOH and its health facilities shall provide medical assistance to eligible beneficiaries.
“My question, Mr. Chair, what is the intent of this second paragraph? Would this mean that the DSWD will no longer (provide) medical assistance, considering that this particular provision specifies that the DOH shall (so) provide. It must be noted, based on the experience of DSWD, there are hospitals which are not accredited by the DOH like private hospitals but could be catered (to) by the DSWD for as long as the private hospitals accept guarantee letters,” DSWD Undersecretary for Operations Atty. Aimee Torrefranca-Neri told the Vargas panel.
"There are in crisis patients who are admitted in private hospitals but cannot be accommodated by Malasakit Center or being not accredited by the DOH so with this inclusion of the second paragraph, we would like to know if the medical assistance on the part of the DSWD will be removed and transferred to the DOH,” she added.
The substitute measure provides that Republic Act No. 11463, also known as 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.
Neri said the DSWD would like to "propose the inclusion of guarantee letter as part of the document that will be accepted and other material and other assistance given to the individual in crisis, by providing them food and non-food, non-financial and professional assistance like psychological and legal consultation.”
She noted that here are a lot of patients or clients in crisis who cannot afford the services of lawyers, but cannot be accommodated by the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO).
"Just to have an all encompassing assistance from DSWD such as abused children or abused women who are being assisted by the DSWD through financial assistance but are needing legal consultation, legal assistance, we deem it appropriate also, Mr Chair, if that will be allowed to also include in the substituted bill the additional assistance coming from the DSWD, which may include legal assistance specifically abused women and children,” Neri said.
During the hearing, Fernando Depano, supervising heath program officer of the Department of Health said the DOH “supports” the bill. However, the agency expressed concern that the inclusion of medical assistance in the financial and material assistance extended to the AICS beneficiaries "may cause duplication of assistance given to indigent patients.”
“The DOH recommends the streamlining of the provision on medical and financial assistance to eligible beneficiaries of the Malasakit Centers. This will prevent duplication of providing medical assistance,” he said.
According to him, the DOH also recommends that "the Department and its heath facility to provide medical assistance, while other participating agencies to provide other types of assistance and services that are beyond the DOH mandate.”
Assistant Director Jane Abella of the Budget and Management Bureau-B of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said the DBM is “constrained” from supporting the measure, given the pending implementation of the Supreme Court’s Mandanas ruling starting the 2022 budget cycle.
“The revenue shares of local government are expected to be significantly increased. Consequently the increase in IRA share of the LGU (local government unit) will have a significant decrease in the available fiscal resources intended for the programs and projects to be implemented by the national government agencies and instrumentalities,” she said.
The Mandanas ruling categorically included all national taxes in the allotment for the LGUs.
Abella informed the panel that the AICS is one of the programs being considered for devolution under the DSWD proposed devolution transition plan.
“As proposed, the Department will maintain crisis intervention services only for vulnerable and distressed interregional clients and referrals as part of its regular protective services program.”
She noted that approximately about P234 billion will be transferred from the national government to the local government once the SC ruling is implemented.