By Jennifer P. Rendon
Financial aid under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) totaled P2.3 billion in 2023.
In a press statement, DSWD-Field Office 6 said that it released the amount to 482,593 clients in Western Visayas.
The AICS or Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation is one of the social welfare services of the DSWD that provides medical assistance, burial, transportation, education, food, or financial assistance for other support services or needs of a person or family.
Most of the beneficiaries, or a total of 232,829, received cash assistance.
Clients who received food assistance were pegged at 133,252; medical assistance at 78,844; educational assistance at 20,209; burial assistance at 17,405; and transportation assistance at 54.
“Madamo nga indibidwal ang nabuligan naton paagi sa AICS sang 2023. Sa subong, padayon ang pagbulig sang amon opisina sa mga ara sa krisis nga sitwasyon,” Atty. Carmelo Nochete, DSWD-6 regional director, said.
He said that the regional office currently operates its Action Center through the provision of guarantee letters for those in need of medical and burial assistance.
Those needing cash assistance are undergoing assessment and are scheduled for payout.
As cash assistance has the most number of beneficiaries, it also got the biggest chunk in the AICS amount released at P894.3 million.
On the other hand, medical assistance amounted to P735.6 million; food assistance at P411.6 million; burial assistance at P156. 9 million; educational assistance at P112.6 million; and transportation aid at P290,500..
For 2024, Nochete has assured that the agency’s AICS teams in GT Mall-Molo, Iloilo City, and those in the Social Welfare and Development (SWAD) in the provinces will continue to deliver client-friendly services for the people of Western Visayas.
Meanwhile, Beverly Salazar, head of DSWD-6’s Crisis Intervention Section, said the office has exceeded its target clients to be served for 2023.
“This is due to the proactive provision of social assistance to victims of abuse, trafficking, displaced workers, Overseas Filipino Workers from Israel and their families, and disasters that reached 232,829,” said Salazar.
To help mitigate hunger, food assistance is also provided to clients from Malasakit Centers, she added.
“The provision of medical assistance also helps augment in the hospital bills, chemo session of cancer patients, and dialysis of kidney patients,” Salazar said.
