Senator Rodante Marcoleta is urging the government to rechannel P18 billion from what he described as overlapping and potentially politicized social welfare programs into subsidizing electricity costs for millions of poor Filipino households.

During a budget hearing for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Tuesday, Marcoleta cited a recent report from the Commission on Audit (COA) which flagged the duplication of two major financial aid programs: the Assistance for Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) and Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita (AKAP).

“[The COA] noted the duplication of AKAP with the AICS program based on accounting and budgetary records,” Marcoleta said, pointing out that the lack of clear distinctions between the two programs has allowed some beneficiaries to receive assistance from both.

The senator emphasized the need for more effective and less politicized allocation of government resources, noting that programs such as AICS, AKAP, and TUPAD have often been “used for political ends,” particularly during election seasons.

To address this, Marcoleta proposed realigning the P17.7 billion 2026 budget for AICS to help subsidize electricity bills for an estimated 5.5 million low-income households consuming 230 kilowatt-hours or less per month. 

This initiative, he said, aligns with his proposed Senate Bill 63, which seeks to expand the coverage of the lifeline electricity rate subsidy under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA), or Republic Act 9163.

“Ang subsidy, deretsong pupunta sa pamilya. Covered na covered mo ngayon, wala nang makapagpapasikat na politiko na akala mo galing sa bulsa niya yung AICS, lalo na yung AKAP (The subsidy will go directly to the families. Everyone will be covered now, and no politician can take credit for it anymore—as if AICS, especially AKAP, came from their own pockets),” he lamented.

Marcoleta also questioned the legal basis of AICS, describing it as a program based merely on “internal guidelines” rather than an enabling law, and suggested that redirecting its budget could reduce both politicization and corruption.

“So para hindi natin ma-politika, Mr. Secretary, maski dito lamang, ang AICS kasi wala namang enabling law. It's just an internal guideline vis-a-vis the mandate of the agency (So that we can avoid politicizing it, Mr. Secretary, at least in this case—AICS doesn’t even have an enabling law. It’s just based on internal guidelines relative to the agency’s mandate),” he added.

In response, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the agency is open to reforms and ready to adjust its programs based on the final budget approved by Congress.