When President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called for a special session of Congress on June 17, the first under his administration, he listed eight measures that he hoped the legislative would “urgently” consider, including the proposed institutionalization of the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program.
The House and the Senate have already passed their own versions, but absent a ratified report that reconciles the clashing provisions of both documents, the measure could not be sent to the President’s desk for his signature.
The special session gave Congress an opportunity to push the bill out of the legislative mill, in time for the President’s State of the Nation Address in end-July, but the day ended with no AICS bill finalized.
Worse, Senator Erwin Tulfo raised the impasse on the plenary floor, and, in side interviews with reporters, accused the House of holding the bill hostage due to its opposition to the Senate version’s “anti-epal” provision. His House counterpart has since disputed this narrative.
What is this proposal about?
