Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian maintained that the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) is open to everybody who is undergoing a crisis or difficult life event.
“If you come visit the Department right now, the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation is open to everybody,” Gatchalian said in a television interview when asked about DSWD programs that members of the working class can access.
“It doesn’t discriminate if you’re poor or non-poor. As long as you’re a family or an individual in a crisis situation — a death in the family, a sickness in the family — that window or that program is open for you. So, it’s something that we extend to everybody,” he added.
Gatchalian said AICS serves as a safety net that provides immediate and temporary assistance to individuals and families in crises.
To provide a more comfortable and efficient experience for its clients, the DSWD opened a new satellite office for its Crisis Intervention Unit (CIU) on July 31. Located at the Paragon Place near Ever Gotesco Commonwealth in Quezon City, the new office will exclusively cater to those seeking assistance for AICS and the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP).
“We open satellite offices pretty much every single month. It’s nothing new. It’s just that it’s one of the many satellite offices we’ve opened and continue — and will continue — to open,” Gatchalian said.
The DSWD currently has Crisis Intervention Section offices in Victory Trade Plaza Mall in Caloocan; Victory Food Market in Baclaran, Parañaque City; and Lianas Supermarket along Caruncho Avenue, Barangay Palatiw in Pasig.
