Middle-income earners to receive aid for people in crises – DSWD

DSWD Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao. (Screengrabbed from PCOO Facebook video)

MANILA, Philippines — The Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will also be available to middle-income earners, not just the poor.

According to DSWD co-spokesperson Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao, AICS will cover any individual in any financial situation.

“Even if a family has resources, they can still experience crises,” Dumlao told INQUIRER.net in a mix of Filipino and English.

“The family’s resources may not be sufficient to cover the expenses,” she explained.

“This applies whether your family is poor or from the middle-income class,” she said.

She also mentioned that DSWD will not be picky in assisting AICS if the applicants submit the required documents and complete an assessment with social workers.

“The DSWD does not discriminate against anyone,” Dumlao emphasized.

“Our social workers also ensure that aside from ascertaining the documents, we ensure that they accurately (assess) those needing help,” she said.

“Kami, we give extra care, extra love to our clients. Dapat inaadhika sila,” she stressed.

(They should be served well.)

DSWD also recently announced it will resume issuing Guarantee Letters (GLs) under the AICS program.

A GL is provided to a person in a crisis to ensure that a service provider, such as a hospital, will be paid by DSWD for services the beneficiary uses.

The amount provided via GLs for individuals can vary from P10,000 to P150,000.

But DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian had also said the number may reach up to 300,000, depending on the agency’s assessment of the applicant’s needs.

Earlier, some netizens pointed out that the past cash assistance programs of DSWD seemed to have neglected middle-income earners.

The issuance of GLs was halted on December 7 last year.

The suspension was to give way to the department’s yearly liquidation activities and to finalize payments to service providers who attended to the beneficiaries.