The budget for the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation program has tripled under the Marcos administration, growing from ₱18 to ₱20 billion to ₱63 billion now, Undersecretary Pinky Romualdez said Saturday.
Romualdez made the disclosure in an interview on DZRH News program Special on Saturday on July 25, as part of the DZRH SONA 2026 Series.
She described the AICS as a program that serves every Filipino in crisis, regardless of economic status, covering needs from birth to death.
“From womb to tomb,” Romualdez said, summarizing the scope of the program.
The AICS provides financial assistance ranging from ₱2,000 to ₱10,000, as well as medical and burial assistance, with the specific amount determined through on-site assessment by DSWD social workers.
Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the tripling of the budget reflects three factors: population growth, inflation in the cost of hospital and funeral services, and a growing public awareness that the government is obligated to help citizens in times of crisis.
“Primary na obligasyon ng iyong pamahalaan na sa oras ng kagipitan, dapat ang mamamayan ang huli niyang sandigan, ang pamahalaan niya. Hindi pwede ‘yung may gipit ka na, kahit may kaya ka, wala kang matakbuhan,” Gatchalian said.
He said the AICS is designed to complement, not replace, the crisis assistance provided by local government units, whose budgets are often insufficient to fully address the needs of their constituents.
Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said AICS goes beyond financial assistance, incorporating psychosocial interventions and case referral pathways to address the full range of vulnerabilities a client may face.
“We don’t only provide financial or material assistance. Meron diyan psychosocial interventions, that’s part of the non-material assistance, and may case referral pathway din po ‘yan,” Dumlao said.
