The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will open new satellite offices for the processing of its Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program in Metro Manila and Bulacan province as part of its commitment to bring its services and interventions closer to the people particularly during difficult times.
“This initiative is one way to decongest our existing AICS payout areas, and to deliver services under AICS directly to our clients from different parts of Metro Manila and nearby provinces,” DSWD Assistant Secretary for Community Engagement Uly Aguilar said.
At present, there are two existing AICS processing areas: the DSWD Central Office in Batasan Road, which services the entire Quezon City and Northern Caloocan areas, and the DSWD Field Office – National Capital Region in Gastambide, Sampaloc, Manila, which covers clients from the cities of Manila, San Juan, Mandaluyong and Makati.
As envisioned, the new satellite offices will cover the Northern and Southern parts of Metro Manila and will be operational on Thursday, April 27. The Eastern satellite office will become operational at a later date.
The CAMANAVA satellite office situated at the Victory Trade Plaza in Monumento will facilitate the request for assistance of clients from the Northern Metro Manila cities of Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, and Valenzuela.
The Baclaran satellite office located at the Victory Food Market beside Baclaran Church will cater to the residents of the Southern Metro Manila cities of Pasay, Parañaque, Muntinlupa, and Las Piñas.
In addition, the DSWD will also set up remote AICS processing areas in Pasig City and San Jose del Monte (SJDM) City in Bulacan this May.
The Pasig Satellite Office aims to deliver various forms of assistance under the AICS program, directly to clients residing in the Eastern Metro Manila cities of Pasig, Marikina, Taguig and the municipality of Pateros.
Residents from the municipalities of Norzagaray, Sta. Maria, Angat, and the city of SJDM in the province of Bulacan will be serviced by the SJDM Satellite Office situated at Starmall in Barangay Kaypian, which will be operational on May 2.
AICS serves as a social safety net or a stop-gap mechanism to support the recovery of individuals and families from unexpected crises such as illness or death of a family member, natural and man-made disasters, and other crisis situations.
The initiative of putting up remote processing areas is in line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to provide assistance to the poor and vulnerable in the easiest and fastest way possible.