Lawmakers Voice Concern Over Ayuda Para sa Kapos ang Kita Program Cut
At least two legislators have expressed disappointment over the removal of the Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program from the 2026 proposed national budget. The lawmakers emphasized that this program could have provided much-needed relief to workers earning insufficient wages.
Deputy Speaker Janette Garin and Bicol Saro party-list Representative Terry Ridon shared in separate interviews that they hope the funding for Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program remains available. They believe it would offer a vital lifeline for near-poor families struggling to make ends meet.
Support for Workers with Low Salaries
Garin lamented the program’s exclusion, stating, “It’s a pity that this Akap was removed when we want to help Filipinos who are already helping themselves. It’s basically us helping those who are helping themselves by having jobs […] and then what the government does is to help them. So I believe that is what some lawmakers regret.”
Meanwhile, Ridon added, “Akap is for our fellow Filipinos who have low salaries. We supported the Akap during the past years, and I’m not quite certain on what Congress will do, whether they will restore Akap for next year.”
Budget Challenges and Political Timing
According to Garin, reinstituting funds for the Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program will be difficult since it is absent from the Department of Budget and Management’s National Expenditures Program for 2026 submitted to Congress. She acknowledged that the program’s widespread implementation before the election season may have contributed to its removal.
“It would be hard to fund the Akap because it no longer has a line item, it was removed and Congress respects the Department of Budget and Management decision […] Maybe the problem here is that the wider implementation of Akap happened during the election season, that’s why some thought there was malice behind it,” Garin explained.
Regret Over Program’s Demise
Local leaders noted that it is unfortunate the program was stigmatized due to its timing. “It’s really regrettable that a program was demonized simply because the bulk of its implementation was (held before the elections),” one official remarked.
When the Department of Budget and Management submitted the P6.793 trillion National Expenditures Program, it became clear that the Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program would not receive funding, similar to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation’s budget cut in 2025.
Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman explained that leftover funds from the 2025 budget, which allocated P26 billion for the program, remain. However, due to limited fiscal space, the decision was made to exclude it from this year’s budget.
House Stance and Legislative Options
The chairperson of the House committee on appropriations, Nueva Ecija 1st District Representative Mikaela Suansing, acknowledged the program’s value but deferred to her colleagues on whether to push for its restoration in 2026.
Meanwhile, ACT Teacher party-list Representative Antonio Tinio of the Makabayan bloc suggested a more sustainable solution: legislated wage increases. He pointed out that efforts to raise the minimum wage stalled due to disagreements between the House and Senate in the 19th Congress.
On July 30, Tinio and Kabataan party-list Representative Renee Co filed House Bill No. 2599, the proposed National Minimum Wage Act of 2025, advocating for a P1,200 daily minimum wage.
Focus on Living Wage Over Cash Aid
Tinio emphasized the importance of raising salaries instead of relying on cash aid programs. “Well the position of Makabayan ever since the start, even when cash aid was first implemented under the Arroyo administration — especially the conditional cash transfer and other forms of social aid — we said the government should not allocate billions to that program, and instead focus on job creation because that’s the long-term solution,” he said.
He added, “So generally we have that position that’s why I think it’s wrong to push back for Akap […] so for us, the priority — if you want to help those who have jobs — is to raise their salaries. That’s why we have a bill for the P1,200 living wage. So we need a living wage, and if it allows us to live better lives, we don’t need any aid.”
Background and Controversies Surrounding the Program
The Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program was first introduced in December 2023 during the budget deliberations for 2024. It aimed to assist near-poor workers in combating inflation by providing them with financial support to purchase essential goods.
However, the program sparked controversy when the president’s sister, Senator Imee Marcos, claimed the Senate was unaware of the provisions establishing the program. Former senior deputy speaker Aurelio Gonzales clarified that senators, including Marcos, had signed the page containing the provisions, indicating their knowledge.
Eventually, former deputy majority leader and current Senator Erwin Tulfo admitted that the program was his initiative, conceived during his tenure as Social Welfare and Development secretary.
Under the 2025 national budget, P26 billion was allocated for Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program. The Department of Budget and Management categorized it under “conditional implementation,” signaling that guidelines must be issued before the program’s rollout.
For more news and updates on Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program, visit Filipinokami.com.
