Party-list lawmakers are batting for a quarterly medical aid or "ayuda" worth up to P150,000--among other forms of assistance--to individuals and/or families who are indigent, vulnerable, disadvantaged, or are otherwise in a crisis situation.

For this purpose, Tingog Party-list Reps. Yedda Marie Romualdez and Jude Acidre filed House Bill (HB) No.1940 or the proposed Act institutionalizing the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) Program. It is currently pending before the House Committee on Social Services.

The AICS is a program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). The authors are seeking the institutionalization of the program so it may aid more Filipinos.

“AICS is social safety net or stopgap measure to support the recovery of individuals and families who are indigent, vulnerable, disadvantaged or are otherwise in crisis situation," the authors noted.

"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,” explained the Tingog solons.

Section 4 of HB No.1940 proposes that the AICS Program provide integrated services to individuals and families in crisis or difficult situations in the form of psychosocial intervention or direct financial and material assistance, particularly transportation assistance, medical assistance, burial assistance, education assistance, food assistance, cash assistance, psychosocial intervention, or referral for other services. This will be subject to screening, verification, and assessment of the beneficiaries' needs by social workers.

The bill indicates that the amount of transportation assistance will be based on actual ticket quotation and may be availed once a year.

The medical aid may be from P1,000 up to P150,000 and may be requested every three months. Meanwhile, P5,000 up to P25,000 worth of ayuda can be availed for burial assistance.

Cash aid worth P1,000 to P10,000 for educational assistance may be availed every year or semester, depending on the educational level of the student.

Food assistance, cash assistance for other support services and provision of PPEs may also be requested under the bill.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will screen the beneficiaries and take the lead in the implementation of the program.

The bill requires those seeking assistance to 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, any other supporting documents as may be required in the implementing rules and regulations of the measure.