A viral video on Facebook claims that the Department of Social Welfare and Development has educational support under its Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program. This is not true and the agency labeled the clip as “outdated.”
Posted on May 11, the one-minute, 39-second video tutorial featured a graphic that bore the logos of DSWD and AICS, along with the amount of financial assistance Filipino students can supposedly receive under the AICS, ranging from P1,000 to P4,000, depending on the recipient’s educational level.
It provided details that targeted applicants must submit under the DSWD program, the requirements to avail of it, and the application process.
In a May 12 advisory, the social welfare department clarified that the Tara, Basa Tutoring Program is currently the agency’s only active educational assistance initiative, which aims to help improve the reading skills of young learners while providing financial support to the tutors and youth development workers through cash-for-work.
While AICS is among the existing welfare services by the DSWD, the agency flagged the FB reel because it contained information that is either “outdated or no longer aligned with the department’s current implementation of its programs.”
For families and individuals who have been affected by crises or “unexpected life events,” the AICS provides them with financial, emotional and psychosocial support.
The video with old claims has a disclaimer in its original caption stating the page is not affiliated with the DSWD and the content is for informational purposes only. A day later, after the agency called out the post, it included a correction saying that “some information in this content may be based on previous or older DSWD guidelines.”
VERA Files has repeatedly debunked similar claims from 2023 to 2025 where the DSWD likewise noted that it was only implementing its reformatted educational assistance through the said tutoring program.
The spurious clip, published by FB page Gabay Sa Serbisyo PH (created on June 18, 2021), has so far amassed 11,500 reactions — with overwhelming number of likes and heart reactions — 2,200 comments; 2,400 shares and 1.3 million views.
