Manila, Sept. 24 -- Senators on Wednesday vowed to stop any attempt to revive the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) in the 2026 national budget even as they raised concern over a PHP140.9-billion cut in the budget of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

During the Senate Committee on Finance Subcommittee D hearing, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said AKAP, introduced in past bicameral conferences, overlapped with the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program and had been flagged by the Commission on Audit (COA) as redundant.

"If you look at poverty incidence compared to the beneficiaries, mas mataas ang poverty incidence, mas kaunti ang beneficiaries. Kapag mas mababa ang poverty incidence, mas m...