Speaker Martin Romualdez expressed gratitude to his Senate counterparts for aligning with the House of Representatives in reinstating allocation for the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) in the 2025 national budget.
“We thank our fellow congressmen and the Senate for supporting AKAP. It was maintained and restored, so the AKAP program for the poor will continue,” Romualdez told reporters on Wednesday after wrapping up budget deliberations in the Bicameral Conference Committee (bicam).
He commended the efforts of House Committee on Appropriations chairperson and Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co “for successfully defending our budget proposals.”
“That’s what we all want—to help our countrymen, who are struggling with inflation and high prices of goods,” Romualdez said. “Yes, we are able to maintain it (AKAP), just as we proposed in the GAB (General Appropriations Bill). Thank you.”
Co said AKAP has been allocated a total funding of P26 billion under the proposed 2025 national budget.
When asked about reports that senators would also receive AKAP, Co responded: “Well, we can have arrangements now with the Senate. We’re looking forward to that. We were supported by the Senate, so thank you so much to our senators.”
In a separate statement, Romualdez noted that AKAP is a crucial program for underemployed Filipinos, or those who have jobs but their incomes are not enough to support themselves or their families due to economic challenges or other emergencies.
“AKAP is an anti-inflation measure that aims to prevent near-poor families from returning to poverty due to unexpected events such as illness, death, or calamity. This shows that Congress values AKAP as the lifeline of many Filipinos,” Romualdez said.
