Cebuanos seeking financial assistance from the provincial government may receive support sooner under a revamped social assistance program that aims to cut processing time from two to three months to just 21 working days.
Gov. Pamela Baricuatro launched AMPING Sugbo on Monday, Nov. 9, introducing changes to the Capitol’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program to make financial aid more accessible and improve the handling of applications.
The revised system also provides for assistance desks in all 16 district and provincial hospitals managed by the provincial government. This will allow applicants, especially those from far-flung municipalities, to seek help without repeatedly traveling to the Capitol in Cebu City.
AMPING Sugbo stands for Assistance to the Marginalized for a People-centered, Inclusive, and Nurturing Governance. It continues to cover residents facing medical, financial and other personal emergencies.
“A year after the Cebuano people overwhelming put me in this position to be their servant leader, we gather today to launch the improved and expanded AICS program,” Baricuatro said.
To shorten processing time, the provincial government reviewed its procedures and identified delays in the movement of applications between offices.
The Provincial Planning and Development Office conducted workflow assessments and consultations with concerned departments, while the Information and Communications Technology Office developed a digital monitoring system to track applications and determine which offices have pending tasks.
The system will also allow the administration to consider repeated delays in meeting prescribed processing timelines in the performance evaluations of concerned offices.
Under the previous arrangement, applicants who had completed their documentary requirements and intake interviews were advised to contact the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office after a month to check whether their assistance was ready for release or had already been claimed by their service provider.
The revamped process seeks to complete the entire transaction, from application processing to the release of assistance, within 21 working days.
AMPING Sugbo covers hospitalization, medicines, laboratory examinations and other medical procedures, as well as burial assistance, educational support, transportation or fare assistance, food assistance and psychosocial services.
Applicants must submit a barangay-issued certificate of indigency and a valid government identification card, along with documents specific to the assistance they are requesting.
Those seeking medical assistance, for example, must provide a medical abstract or certificate and the latest hospital billing statement. Applicants for burial assistance must submit a death certificate.
Capitol Public Health Consultant Dr. Elisse Nicole Catalan said the program aims to make government support faster, more accessible and more responsive to residents facing emergencies.
“The objective of AMPING Sugbo is simple but meaningful: to provide faster, more accessible, comprehensive, and compassionate assistance to Cebuanos experiencing crisis, ensuring that no one is left behind during their most difficult moments,” she said.
Baricuatro said the expanded program reflects her administration’s goal of providing equal treatment and delivering public services based on the needs of constituents.
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