Over 6.5 million individuals facing difficult circumstances were provided with aid by the Department of Social Welfare and Development through its Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation program from January to December 2023.

DSWD Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications Romel Lopez said on Saturday said that the number of clients served under the AICS is more than four times the program’s annual total target of 1,691,869 beneficiaries.

“It is evident that many of our kababayans need support from the government and we, at the DSWD, remain committed to responding to their immediate needs through the AICS program,” Asst. Sec. Lopez, who is also the DSWD spokesperson, said.

According to Lopez, most of the beneficiaries served by the DSWD were from the CALABARZON region with more than 870,000 individuals who sought assistance.

“Under the AICS program, beneficiaries were provided with different interventions, including medical, food cash, burial/funeral, and transportation assistance, as well as psychosocial support, among others,” Lopez explained.

The DSWD spokesperson pointed out that food assistance, followed by psychosocial support, and medical aid were the most-sought after services under the AICS.

“Our clients, who are in crisis, will be assessed by our social workers to determine the types of assistance that best fit their needs,” Lopez noted.

He said more than 314,700 individuals received services in the different Malasakit Centers around the country.

The Malasakit Center is a one-stop-shop located in various hospitals of the Department of Health, the Philippine General Hospital, and other public hospitals nationwide where indigent patients as well as those who are currently financially incapacitated can access medical and financial assistance from various government agencies such as the DSWD, PhilHealth, and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office among others.