On Thursday, House Speaker Martin Romualdez pledged that the House of Representatives will fight to secure the funding for the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) in the 2025 national budget.
The House Speaker highlighted the program's impact on more than four million “near poor” Filipinos nationwide, as it provided immediate relief to struggling households.
“AKAP is not just a safety net; it is a lifeline for millions of Filipino families teetering on the edge of poverty,” Romualdez said.
“This initiative has proven its value by providing immediate relief to struggling households, empowering them to weather economic challenges, and ensuring their resilience against inflation and other shocks,” he added.
Under AKAP, beneficiaries are provided financial support through the one-time cash assistance of P3,000 to P5,000. Qualified beneficiaries include those whose incomes fall below the poverty threshold and those not covered by other government aid programs.
According to Romualdez, the program had already reached over 589,000 families in the National Capital Region (NCR) alone. However, other regions such as Central Luzon, Bicol, and Western Visayas also exceeded 70% of its fund utilization rate.
The House Speaker said that AKAP stabilizes households, strengthens communities, and contributes to the country's overall economic resilience. Therefore, cutting its funding would be a disservice to the millions who rely on this vital assistance.
With that, Romualdez called on the Senate to reconsider proposals to defund AKAP and amplified DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian's appeal to protect the program's funding.
“We stand with Secretary Gatchalian in urging our colleagues in the Senate to uphold the AKAP budget. This is about ensuring that no Filipino family falls back into poverty because of insufficient support. The House of Representatives is ready to champion this cause in the bicameral discussions if necessary,” Romualdez emphasized.
The AKAP initiative reflects the House's collective vision of a ‘more inclusive and compassionate governance model,’ as it directly addresses the needs of ordinary Filipinos. Romualdez assured the public that they would ‘'leave no stone unturned and continue to uphold the program’s continuation.
“We will fight for AKAP because it fights for the Filipino people. This program is a testament to what good governance can achieve, and we will not allow its gains to be rolled back,” he ended.
