DSWD: Middle-class Filipinos can avail of AICS, not just the poor

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said its Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program is open to all individuals—regardless of whether they are poor or belong to the middle class.

In a media forum, DSWD's Crisis Intervention Program Director Edwin Morata said "shocks" or unforeseen situations choose no social status during disasters or energy emergencies.

"Hindi pinipili ng shocks kung ikaw ay mayaman o mahirap, may trabaho o wala, kung ikaw ay nasa middle class o ikaw ay low-income earner o minimum wage. Maaaring disaster, lahat tayo ay apektado. Ang energy emergency, lahat tayo ay apektado. Even health shocks, lahat tayo ay apektado," Morata told reporters on Thursday.

(Shocks don't choose whether you are rich or poor, employed or not, a member of the middle class, or a low-income or minimum-wage earner. In disasters, all of us are affected. In an energy emergency, everyone feels the impact. Even with health crises, all of us are affected.)

"'Yan po ang lagi natin sinasabi na kapag may pangangailangan na hindi napaghandaan ng isang tao o pamilya, 'yung pinansyal na kapasidad nila na tugunan 'yung pangangailangan, kaya may ganito tayong programa," he added.

(That is what we always say, that if a person or a family faces an unexpected need, this program exists to provide the financial capacity to meet it.)

According to the DSWD, it continuously enhances AICS guidelines to assist the evolving needs of different clients.

The AICS program is a social welfare service that assists with medical, burial, transportation, education, food, or other financial needs.

AICS applications

Morata said the department has also streamlined the process of the AICS application.

Now, AICS clients just need to undergo three steps: queuing, assessment and interview, and release of assistance.

For the documentary requirements, the client needs to provide the following:

• valid identification of the claimant; and
• medical certificate, medical abstract, or a certification from a psychiatrist or psychologist.

Depending on the assistance being requested, the client has to submit the following additional proof of documentation to support the claim:

• For laboratory or diagnostic procedures, and requests for medical implants or assistive devices – a request for a laboratory for a diagnostic procedure with a price quotation.
• For patients undergoing therapy and other special treatment – a doctor's order or treatment protocol with a price quotation.
• For medicine requests — a prescription for the medicine
• For hospital bill assistance – a statement of account.

Warning against fixers and fake documents

Meanwhile, the DSWD warned AICS clients who plan to engage with fixers and submit fraudulent documents to illegally avail cash aid.

In a statement, the agency reported they have filed a "police report against individuals involved in the recently discovered fraudulent act, and a criminal case has already been filed to serve as a warning to other fixers."

“Yung dalawa po doon [sa nahuli], several times nang nakakuha sa AICS. Ibang pagkatao ang pine-present niya. Kaya sabi namin, we have to strengthen our mechanism to avoid this kind of engagement with the people na nagkakaroon ng fraudulent documents,” Morata told reporters during a forum on Thursday.

(“Two of the individuals that we caught had already claimed AICS assistance several times. They presented different identities. That’s why we said, ‘we need to strengthen our mechanisms to avoid this kind of engagement with other people who present fraudulent documents.’”)

“We already filed a case, we already requested authority from the Secretary himself for us to represent DSWD to our legal office to stand on the case. Gusto naming malaman ng publiko na kahit ganito kami kabait, hindi po dapat inaabuso ang ating sakripisyo (We want the public to know that even though we are lenient, we will not let them abuse our sacrifices)… Alam po naming mahirap gawin ito pero we need to learn a lesson (We know this is tough, but we need to learn a lesson),” he added.

Morata said the incidents were discovered because social workers are capable of detecting inconsistencies through probing questions and document validation.

“Ang social workers natin ay mayroon ding mechanism to see yung documentation kung tama o hindi. Minsan tinatawagan nila ang ospital o clinic to check kung existing. Kasi mapapansin nila na parang sa isang linya na ito, pare-pareho ang diagnosis, pare-pareho ang result, at pare-pareho ang needs,” Morata explained.

(“Our social workers have a mechanism to see if the documentation is correct or not. Sometimes they contact the hospital or the clinic to check if they exist. Because sometimes they would notice that on this line, the diagnosis, results, and needs are repetitive.”)

In the 2026 national budget, the AICS program received a P63.9-billion budget.

The DSWD earlier reported that it extended aid from the AICS program to over 8.2 million Filipinos from January to November 2025. — VDV/RSJ, GMA News