LEGAZPI CITY: The first batch of more than 3,600 senior high school and tertiary students from Albay province received financial aid Monday under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
The initial 1,200 beneficiaries were from 47 villages in Tabaco City and 56 in Bacacay.
“This will be a three-day activity that will benefit more than 3,600 from the first district of Albay,” Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Raul Angelo Bongalon said in an interview during the payout at San Pedro Community College in Bacacay.
The partylist group helped facilitate the DSWD-AICS aid.
It also allocated funds for the Tulong-Dunong Program, Tertiary Education Subsidy and Student Monetary Assistance for Recovery and Transition of the Commission on Higher Education.
Vinz Gabriel Bellen, 18, from Barangay Baclayon in Bacacay patiently waited in line during the payout.
“I will use the PHP5,000 for my enrollment since I’m an incoming first year student a
t Tabaco College. With so many requirements as an incoming freshman, the assistance is a big help for me,” Bellen said in the vernacular.
He added that the financial assistance he received is a big relief for his parents.
“I will not ask for money for my educational expenses. I can enroll and have already helped them. Thank you to the government for helping,” he said.
Josefa de Guzman Bea, 52, of Barangay Mahaponan, Bacacay, said the assistance will be used by his 17-year-old son for medical purposes as a requirement for enrollment in Bicol University.
“Malaking tulong po ito. Makakapa-medical, dental and x-ray na po ang anak ko (This is a big help for us. My son can now get medical, dental, and x-ray tests),” she said.
The AICS program is a social safety net to support the recovery of individuals and families in case of unforeseen crises, such as the illness or death of a family member and other similar circumstances.
Source: Philippines News Agency