As the bicameral committee advances the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) and Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP), experts link these programs to fostering dependency and corruption rather than genuine aid.
Amid public outrage over flood control corruption, the bicameral committee presses on with the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) and Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) as aid programs. In an opinion piece, Raymund E. Narag, PhD, an associate professor at Southern Illinois University, describes them as disguised pork barrels for electoral gain, not true social safety nets.
Theoretically, drawing on Robert Merton's strain theory, these initiatives offer temporary relief for those hit by floods, earthquakes, or medical emergencies to avert crime born of desperation. In mature democracies, similar measures like universal healthcare and unemployment benefits serve as investments in societal stability.
In the Philippines, however, implementation falters: beneficiaries are chosen based on political loyalty, not need, requiring connections and endorsements. Narag's interviews reveal some pawn benefits to usurers, losing half to loan sharks. Funds often go to alcohol, cigarettes, or gambling, viewed as 'spoils' from a corrupt government.
This breeds a culture of dependency and mendicancy, per social learning theory, teaching that corruption pays and votes are currency. Congress, implicated in pork scams, uses these for name recall.
Narag urges President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to veto the programs and redirect funds to professional institutions free of political influence, ensuring aid restores dignity.