The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office Caraga served 264,903 individuals in crises for 2023 through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) Program, disbursing Php1,360,011,499.96 to beneficiaries across the region.

The AICS Program, implemented through the Crisis Intervention Section, is considered the government’s social safety net mechanism to assist families confronted with crises and financial deficiencies.

Almost 42% of the total individuals, 109,073 clients, were assisted with their medical needs. According to CIS head Ms. Ana Semacio, many medical needs fall under the medical assistance category, such as hospital bills, laboratory expenses, hemodialysis, chemotherapy, anti-rabies treatment, occupational therapy, provision of medical equipment, and blood transfusion.

“We would also like to emphasize that AICS is extended to all individuals ‘in crisis,’ which includes individuals who have exhausted all their resources because of the gravity of their [medical] situation,” Semacio added.

Moreover, the Protective Services Division (PSD) Chief Jessie Catherine Aranas, on the other hand, extends gratitude to workers for their untiring efforts in making this feat possible. Furthermore, she assures clients that with the top management’s continued support, CIS and the entire PSD will further the efforts to make availing services quick and more accessible.

DSWD Field Office Caraga aims to continue its excellent service in 2024 for a future where all Filipinos are free from hunger and poverty and have equal access to opportunities enabled by a fair, just, and peaceful society.