DAVAO CITY — Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab issued a sharp rebuke over what he described as the “brazen and unlawful” use of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) funds during the run-up to the May 2025 midterm elections, calling for a full Commission on Audit (COA) investigation into the allocations and distributions.
Ungab raised alarm over data earlier disclosed by Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson, showing that Davao City’s 2nd District received the highest AICS allocation nationwide as of September 2025 at ₱763.57 million, followed by the 1st District with ₱693.50 million. The figure for the 3rd District was notably unreported, and the 2024 releases were also missing from public records—an omission Ungab described as “highly questionable.”
“There was no calamity in Davao City. Yet AICS funds poured in at unprecedented levels,” Ungab stressed, alleging that certain candidates for mayor, vice mayor, and congressional positions weaponized the program to entice rally-goers, mobilize assemblies, and even finance poll watchers. “This is a clear violation of our laws—using AICS for the May 2025 elections,” he added.
Lacson earlier pointed out that AICS appropriations historically spike during election years, noting an increase from ₱34.27 billion in 2024 to ₱44.44 billion in 2025, the year of the midterm polls.
Despite these alleged maneuvers, Ungab said Dabawenyos “saw through the deception,” voting overwhelmingly for the Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod slate of former president Rodrigo Duterte, which swept nearly all barangays and precincts in the city. “The people of Davao City utterly rejected these machinations,” he said.
But Ungab warned against allowing the AICS controversy to overshadow what he described as the “main issue of the hour”: the deepening corruption investigation into infrastructure projects, particularly the widely discussed Flood Control Scam. He said mounting evidence and testimonies point to systemic anomalies—from budget insertions to ghost or substandard project implementation.
“Let us not be distracted. Let us focus first on the flood-control anomalies,” Ungab urged, calling on authorities to pursue accountability “wherever the evidence leads.”
To address the AICS concerns, Ungab pressed for a COA audit to examine procedures, timing of releases, and—crucially—the verification of whether listed beneficiaries truly received the cash amounts stated in distribution forms.
In closing, the veteran lawmaker appealed for national vigilance and unity: “May the ax fall on whomever the culprits may be. Let us pray for Almighty God’s wisdom and guidance in these most crucial moments of our history. God save the Philippines.”