Sen Lapid, DSWD give cash aid to Baguio folks

ASSISTANCE. Senator Lito Lapid (right) hands over to a recipient the cash aid to 333 heads of families (PHP3,000 each), and 200 students (PHP5,000 education assistance) from Baguio City. The grant is given through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. (PNA photo by Liza T. Agoot)

By Liza Agoot 

BAGUIO CITY – A total of 533 individuals here received on Monday cash aid coursed through the Dept. of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program.
    Leo Quintilla, DSWD-Cordillera Administrative Region director, in an interview on the sidelines of the assistance distribution at the President Fidel Valdez Ramos gym, said the office of Sen. Lito Lapid funded the assistance for 333 heads of families, who received P3,000 food aid, and for 200 students, represented by their parents for the P5,000 educational assistance.
    He said an individual can apply for this aid program through referral or as a walk-in client, provided that they have not received any cash assistance for at least three months.
    “They can come anytime if they need help and we will attend to them. They just need to submit the requirement,” he said, but clarified that the applicants will be screened first.
    AICS is a continuing assistance of DSWD for those who are in need. It is funded either from the DSWD’s funds or from the office of a politician who has identified a particular group of beneficiaries.

Aside from the AICS, Lapid also extended a P1 million medical assistance grant to indigent patients of the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center.

“This will help the poor especially since prices are getting high,” Lapid said in Filipino during the turn-over ceremony.

“I hope that this small amount can be of help to you,” he added. -- PNA

FATHER AND SON -- Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) chief operating officer Mark Lapid and his father, Sen. Lito Lapid, pose with tokens from the city government given Monday, Oct. 9, during awarding of cash aid funded by the office of Sen. Lapid for 533 individuals. The younger Lapid said TIEZA is committed to helping in rehabilitation of Burnham Park. Before the pandemic hit, TIEZA’s Board approved a P400-million for rehabilitation of one of Baguio City’s tourism spots. -- Liza T. Agoot/ PNA