Marikina City 2nd Rep. Stella Quimbo (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)

The House of Representatives passed on second reading the measure seeking to institutionalize the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program, even as its principal sponsor vowed to "shut down abuse" in relation to it.

Given penultimate approval during plenary session on Tuesday night, Feb. 4 was House Bill (HB) No.11395, which also provided for penalties for the violation of certain unlawful acts in connection with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) program.

The second reading approval was carried out via simple voice vote (ayes vs. nayes).

Before this, Marikina City 2nd district Rep. Stella Quimbo stood in plenary to give her sponsorship speech for HB No.11395.

"Honorable speaker, esteemed colleagues, P40.9 billion, 6.5 million Filipinos. That's what AICS delivered in 2023. Not handouts, but rather help. Not favors, but rather relief," Quimbo said.

"But for this program to keep on working, we need to protect it from abuse. And this is precisely the reason for why I am sponsoring [HB No.11395] to institutionalize AICS, protect it from abuse, ensure that no one manipulates aid for power, and more importantly, to ensure its continuity across administrations," she noted.

The objective of the measure is to institutionalize the AICS program of the DSWD that is financially and administratively capable of responding to the needs of Filipinos when dealing with extreme circumstance.

Quimbo mentioned the safeguards in the proposal, specifically Section 13, which indicated that it was illegal for local government unit (LGU) officials or their relatives to meddle in AICS distribution. 

"No more political favors. Aid should go to those who need it, not those with connections," Quimbo said.

The acting chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriations also cited Section 14, which provided for strict penalties. 

"Officials caught interfering, six months jail time.Fraudulent claims for first offense, one year suspension from AICS. For the second offense, up to six years in prison. For organizations involved, the law will hold them accountable for up to ten years behind bars," she said.

"We are closing loopholes. We are shutting down abuse. We are ensuring that AICS remains what it was meant to be. A lifeline, not a tool for politics," underscored Quimbo. 

The meausure provides each qualified beneficiary with financial, medical, transportation, food, material assistance, and other forms of assistance available in the DSWD. These include referral service, psychosocial support or intervention, and legal consultation, based on the assessment of the social workers of the DSWD.

It puts in place an Integrated Program Delivery System, which concerned agencies and LGUs may access in order to identify the types of assistance available to qualified beneficiaries and for purposes of assistance augmentation as well as prevention of possible abuse of the AICS program.

Moreover, it Ppovides for the minimum personnel complement of the Crisis Intervention Division/Unit offices and authorizes the DSWD to create the required plantilla and staffing pattern necessary for the program's implementation, in coordination with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Civil Service Commission (CSC).