SENATOR Erwin Tulfo criticized his former colleagues at the House of Representatives for allegedly refusing to sign a proposal to institutionalize a government aid to individuals classified in “crisis situation” over a provision that bars politicians from taking credit during its distribution.
In a manifestation last June 18, Tulfo, chair of the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare, and Rural Development, bewailed the failure of the Bicameral Committee to finalize, the day before, SB 1966 or the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) Act over the refusal of some Lower House lawmakers to sign the final version.
“They refuse to sign and want—they are requesting to thoroughly study certain provisions of the proposed bill, particularly Section 17. That (AICS) is not your money,” Tulfo bewailed. He, however, declined to name the lawmakers.
Tulfo is the first social welfare secretary of the Marcos administration and championed the use of AICS to help thousands of distressed individuals during his term. It is an underutilized government financial assistance unknown to most Filipinos until he took over the DSWD portfolio.
“The goal of this law is to provide aid to all Filipinos, not just the poorest of the poor. Even employed individuals facing a crisis can receive assistance here.
“That is why we are pushing to institutionalize this, so that funding is continuous and implementation is more efficient,” Tulfo further said.
After leaving the Marcos Cabinet, Tulfo then ran and won as a partylist congressman in the 2022 elections before gunning for the Senate seat, landing in fourth place during the 2025 midterm polls.
Tulfo has lamented AICS gaining a bad reputation after being exploited by lawmakers, especially during the leadership of former Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, for political propaganda during its distribution although this is the responsibility of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
“I have long heard that AICS is constantly being used to dole out goods to our countrymen in exchange for their votes.
“We are trying to stop that tradition, or whatever you want to call it,” Tulfo said.
To remedy the situation, Tulfo and other senators agreed to insert Section 17 or the “enti-epal” (credit-grabbing) proviso that has now apparently dismayed their House counterparts.
The current 2026 national budget also contains a similar provision.
Meanwhile, Tulfo announced that the new Senate majority where he belongs headed by Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian agreed to donate one month of their salary to aid the victims of the magnitude 7.8 earthquake last June 8 that struck General Santos City and the rest of Sarangani Province.
“The Senate New Majority stands with the families and communities in Mindanao who are now facing the painful work of rescue, relief, rebuilding and recovery after the powerful earthquake,” they said in a statement.
“As a personal contribution to the relief effort, members of the Senate New Majority are prepared to donate one month of our salary to help support affected communities,” the joint statement added.
A senator receives a salary of more than ₱300,000 a month.
“What we hope to give is not only financial assistance, but a clear message that Mindanao is not facing this burden alone,” the Gatchalian bloc added further.