CEBU Province is seeking a P500 million budget for its expanded crisis assistance program in 2027, up from P300 million this year, to provide additional services, including legal aid, daily hot meals and family food packs.
Governor Pamela Baricuatro launched the renamed Assistance to the Marginalized for a People-centered, Inclusive and Nurturing Governance (Amping) Sugbo on Monday, November 9, 2026, at the Capitol Social Hall.
Provincial Planning and Development Office head Elizar Sabinay Jr. said the proposed P200 million increase remains subject to Provincial Board approval during budget deliberations.
Local funding
Amping Sugbo expands the Provincial Government’s locally funded Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS), which operates separately from the national program administered by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Sabinay said the name change makes clear the Province’s responsibility for the program and its funds.
Residents, he said, may apply at assistance desks in the province’s four provincial and 12 district hospitals, reducing the need to travel to the Capitol.
Social workers assess applications daily, including weekends, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office also continues to accept applications at the Capitol.
Sabinay said guarantee letters may be issued on the day of assessment, while checks for approved assistance should be released within 21 working days, compared with processing that previously took up to three months.
Since pilot-testing began in May 2026, monthly applications have increased from 200 to 300 to around 1,200 to 1,300, he said.
The Province also has agreements with 16 private hospitals to help patients needing admission while their guarantee letters are being processed.
Expanded aid
Capitol Health Consultant Elisse Nicole Catalan said Amping Sugbo covers hospitalization, medicines, laboratory procedures, dialysis, chemotherapy, burial expenses, education, transportation, food, psychosocial support and legal assistance.
Qualified beneficiaries may also receive daily hot meals and family food packs.
“Assistance should not only be available; it must also be accessible, timely, responsive and compassionate,” Catalan said.
Assistance averages around P25,000 per application, depending on the applicant’s needs and the social worker’s assessment, Sabinay said.
Eligibility and payment
Applicants must be Cebu Province residents and undergo assessment by social workers. Residents of Cebu City and Lapu-Lapu City are excluded because these cities have their own assistance programs.
For medical assistance, the province requires the final hospital bill before processing payment, with checks issued to the hospital or service provider rather than the patient.
Beneficiaries may still seek assistance from the DSWD, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and other National Government programs, Sabinay said. (CDF)
