AICS bill delay due to technicalities, not ‘anti-epal’ section — solon

MANILA, Philippines — The delay in the ratification of a bill institutionalizing the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) was due to technicalities, not opposition to the so-called “anti-epal” provisions, Davao Oriental Rep. Cheeno Miguel Almario said in a statement on Thursday.

Almario heads the House committee on social services, which was responsible for discussing the measure.

He said that they did not block the inclusion of anti-epal provisions, or measures meant to ensure that politicians would not use aid distribution for electioneering and other purposes.

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According to him, they agreed that government programs and services must not be used for personal gain by any public official.

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“AICS and all other forms of government aid should never be used for the personal promotion, endorsement or political advantage of any public official,” he noted.

“Our mandate is to ensure a fair, transparent, accountable and non-partisan distribution of aid to those who need it most,” he added.

Almario said that even without an anti-epal provision in the AICS bill, there are measures that prevent these acts — like sections in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) that prevent elected officials, candidates, or political parties from participating in or influencing aid provision.

“The delay in the bill’s ratification stems from a technical effort to ensure precise, enforceable wording. It is not due to the rejection of the “anti-epal” provisions,” he pointed out.

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“[…] these measures reinforce safeguards already enforced by National Government Agencies (NGAs), specifically Section 19 of the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA), which explicitly bars elected officials, candidates and political parties from participating in or influencing the release of financial assistance,” he added.

On Wednesday, Senator Erwin Tulfo said that the reason why the AICS bill was not ratified during the special session was that House lawmakers opposed the Senate’s amendments.

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Tulfo called out the House, claiming that the provision – which bars government officials and employees from delivering or implementing the financial assistance program – is holding back the House from signing the measure.

“We waited for several minutes for our counterpart, the lower House, to sign that AICS bill. Unfortunately, we are at a deadlock. They did not want to sign,” Tulfo said during the Senate special session.

“The section says, clearly specifies, that a politician is banned from distributing aid that comes from the DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) itself. That is what we had been debating about for a long, long while earlier today,” the senator, who used to head DSWD, added.

READ: Erwin Tulfo slams House for putting AICS bill on aid for poor on ‘deadlock’

The AICS program is an initiative of the DSWD that provides assistance to individuals and families affected by calamities or those facing financial crises.

Almario said that the House is ready to move forward through a bicameral conference committee hearing.

“We are partners with the Senate, not adversaries. Let us not turn a shared victory into a misunderstanding. The House is ready. Let us convene, finalize the wording, and deliver this law,” he said.

“When a family loses a breadwinner, when a calamity wipes out a livelihood, when a parent cannot pay a hospital bill, that is when this law matters,” he noted.

“Let us give them a program that is permanent, that is protected from politics, and that will be there the moment they need it,” he added.

As early as December 2025, the House had approved the AICS bill on third reading, after 270 lawmakers voted in the affirmative, eight in the negative, and two abstained.

House Bill (HB) No. 6636, which contains the AICS bill, seeks to turn the DSWD initiative into a regular program of the government.

READ: House OKs bills institutionalizing AICS, extending estate tax amnesty

Aid under the AICS can be subdivided into the following categories:

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financial assistance

material assistance, which refers to food and non-food items like food packs, vouchers, hygiene or sleeping kits, and other assistive devices and technologies

psychosocial support service, or the provision of psychosocial support by trained professionals

referral service where those seeking benefits are referred to other programs within DSWD or other agencies that can address their concerns

other services that the DSWD may deem appropriate

Aside from defining what will constitute services and benefits under AICS, the bill will also consider the following acts as illegal:

having officials or employees of local government units, including their agents, representatives, and relatives, interfere with the implementation and delivery of AICS services

defrauding the government by issuing or presenting falsified or misleading documents, or using false pretenses or other fraudulent acts to acquire the aid

coercing, inviting, encouraging, or assisting persons to seek assistance from the DSWD for purposes of acquiring from the beneficiary a portion of the assistance

misleading an individual or group to join, pay, or cooperate with a group falsely representing connection or affiliation with DSWD, or falsely promising priority in the processing of assistance /apl /atm