House appropriations committee chair and Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co on Tuesday said the Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP), a cash assistance conceptualized by the House of Representatives, is kickback-free and is intended for employed Filipinos who are still among the poor, a press release from the House of Representatives said.
In a TV interview, Co claimed that AKAP is not a pork barrel as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) handles the funds and identifies the recipients.
Co shared that the initiative was born during a gathering of individuals who once aspired to the priesthood. Minimum-wage earners like food service crew and Grab drivers were complaining about how they cannot avail of government social safety net efforts like the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) which target the unemployed.
“They are the ones who work 16 hours. They are the ones who pay for PhilHealth. They are the ones who pay taxes. They are the ones who work double time, triple time, just to make [ends meet]. When they go home, they’re tired. They can’t take care of their children because they need to sleep and they need to work,” he said in Taglish.
Co said he validated the data with the DSWD secretary and then came up with AKAP.
AKAP provides a range of support, including medical, funeral, food, and cash assistance through the DSWD’s Crisis Intervention Units and satellite offices nationwide, to minimum-wage earners who can show DSWD that their earnings are not enough to sustain them.
Known as a pet project of House Speaker Martin Romualdez, AKAP was first implemented in 2024. It has a budget of P26 billion under the 2025 General Appropriations Act
Co said he wants AKAP to continue beyond his term in Congress.
Co also highlighted AKAP’s success in its first year, 2024, with nearly 5 million Filipinos receiving P5,000 in cash assistance. Regions such as Cagayan Valley, Davao, and Caraga stood out, achieving 100 percent fund utilization, showcasing the program’s efficiency and significant impact.*
