A Guarantee Letter (GL) is a document issued by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Addressed to a service provider, it guarantees the payment of the service on behalf of a client. This includes payment for medicines, medical procedures, and even burial expenses.
Nowadays, clients who are buying medicines, undergoing a medical procedure, or needing help with burial assistance can use GLs to avail of such services. This was made possible through formal agreements between the DSWD and select pharmacies, medical service providers, and memorial service providers nationwide.
Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS)
Typically, beneficiaries of the DSWD’s Assistance to Individuals In Crisis Situations (AICS) program are those who are given Guarantee Letters (GLs). This is a program that provides help to individuals, families, and communities in crisis.
Through AICS, beneficiaries are given medical assistance, transportation assistance, educational assistance, or burial assistance — depending on their specific needs.
Recently, the DSWD has announced plans to “automate” the AICS program, as part of the agency’s digital transformation initiatives. This will involve automating the entire program, from dispensing services up to billing. This way, the process would be faster, easier, and more efficient for everyone.
List of Establishments Accepting Guarantee Letters
Guarantee Letters (GLs) issued by the DSWD are now accepted at select pharmacies, medical service providers, and memorial service providers across the country. Below is a list of these establishments.
Pharmacies
“Under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program, the DSWD has been engaging with selected pharmacies to help poor clients to purchase their medicine needs through the DSWD-issued GLs,” according to DSWD Assistant Secretary and Spokesperson Irene Dumlao, as cited in a DSWD press release.
Pharmacies in Metro Manila that accept DSWD-issued GLs are:
- Complete Solution Pharmacy and General Merchandise;
- Globo Asiatico Enterprises, Inc.;
- Haran Pharmaceutical Product Distribution Ltd. Co.;
- Interpharma Solutions Philippines, Inc.;
- JCS Pharmaceuticals, Inc.;
- Keminfinity, Inc.;
- Medinfinity, Inc.;
- Onco Care Pharma Corporation;
- Urology Med Care, Inc.; and
- Pharmacies under the Drugstores Association of the Philippines (DSAP).
NOTE: For those in other regions, you may visit or contact the nearest DSWD Field Office in your area for the complete list of pharmacies accepting DSWD-issued GLs.
Mercury Drugstores
Meanwhile, another DSWD press release states that agency officials led by Secretary Rex Gatchalian met with executives of the Mercury Drugs Corporation regarding the purchase of medicines in select Mercury Drugstore branches using DSWD-issued GLs.
The meeting was held on September 12, 2024 at the Mercury Drugs Corporation head office in Quezon City. Sec. Gatchalian thanked Vivian Que-Azcona, President of Mercury Drugs Corporation, for the company’s support to the DSWD’s AICS program.
Medical Service Providers
On August 10, 2024, the DSWD signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with 25 new medical service providers at the DSWD Central Office, the agency’s press release reported.
“In making things more efficient, we have decided to convert a lot of our cash assistance to guarantee letters (GL). That way, yung primary purpose nila (their primary purpose) will be met,” Sec. Rex Gatchalian said. “If it’s for medical, medicine, prosthetics, lahat yan ma-mimeet (all of that will be met) because it’s a guarantee letter and they cannot use that for anything else.”
The MOA states that clients who received a GL through the DSWD’s AICS program will be accommodated by the agency’s partner service providers. As stated in the later, they will receive the necessary medical services, procedures, and medicines.
Meanwhile, the DSWD shall make sure that it has enough funds for the services to be given by services provides to AICS beneficiaries.
The service providers present during the MOA signing include:
- Ace Medical Center-QC;
- Aramax Solution, Incorporation;
- Delos Santos Medical Center;
- Fortune Jade Medical Equipment and Supplies Trading;
- FRG Orthopedic Supplies Trading;
- F.Y. Manalo Medical Foundation Inc. (New Era General Hospital);
- Gapan Drug Inc.;
- Garrod Specialty Pharmacy;
- Gruppo Technico Medico Internationale;
- Helande Kidney Care Incorporated;
- Instalimb Philippines;
- Integra Medical Solution;
- Marikina Valley Medical Center;
- Ortigas Hospital and Health Care Center;
- Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital – East Manila;
- Peridots Medical Supplies;
- Premier 101 Dialysis Center;
- Prime Dialysis Center/ERX ONEWORLD PH;
- Quirino Memorial Medical Center;
- Recuenco General Hospital;
- Sanare Medical Products;
- South Star Drug;
- Tricity Medical Center;
- UERM Hospital; and
- World Citi Medical Center.
Memorial Service Providers
Aside from medicines and medical procedures, burial assistance is another type of service provided by DSWD’s AICS program. Today, Guarantee Letters (GLs) issued by the DSWD are accepted at select memorial services providers and funeral parlors across the country.
“Individuals in crisis situations who need assistance for the burial expenses of their loved ones can request for a guarantee letter from the DSWD,” stated Asst. Sec. and Spokesperson Irene Dumlao, as cited in a DSWD press release. “We have partner funeral homes and memorial service providers that accept DSWD-issued GLs to render the services stated in the letter.”
Here’s a list of memorial services providers and funeral parlors in Metro Manila that accept DSWD-issued GLs:
- A&J Biglang – Awa Funeral Homes;
- Alexandria Funeral Services;
- Almo Funeral & Mortuary Services, Inc.;
- Amaryllis Memorial Services;
- Ambassador Funeral Homes Corp;
- Arlington Memorial Chapels;
- BVL Funeral Homes Services;
- Catalonia Funeral Homes;
- Cosmopolitan Memorial Chapels & Crematory;
- Crismar Funeral Homes;
- Del Mundo Funeral Services;
- De Ocampo Memorial College Inc.
- Dayao Funeral Home, Incorporated;
- Dr. Jesus C. Delgado Memorial Hospital;
- Dulce Memorial Service;
- Eastern Funeral Services;
- Funeraria Filipinas Inc.;
- Funeraria Quiogue;
- Funeraria Royale Inc.;
- HPT Funeral Services;
- Ilagan Memorial Homes;
- I.P. Tajuna Funeral Service;
- Jara Funeral Services;
- Ka Andres Memorial Chapel;
- K.A. Philip Sabino Funeral Service;
- Kua Mads Funeral Services (Santiago’s);
- La Rosa Memorial Services;
- Malaya Funeral Corporation;
- MBG Funeral Services;
- Mesina Funeral Homes Co.;
- Mother Jeronima Funeral Services;
- Nardo N. Quinones (Puneraria Ni Bossing Nards);
- Our Lady of Loreto Funeral Services;
- People Funeral Service Inc.;
- Plainview Custodial Home;
- Rizal Funeral Homes Inc.;
- St. Eldrich Funeral Services;
- St. James Memorial Chapel;
- St. Matthew Funeral Homes; and
- WYN Funeral Services.
NOTE: Those who are based in the provinces may inquire with the nearest DSWD Field Office for the list of memorial service providers in their area.
Final Thoughts
For beneficiaries of the DSWD’s AICS program, Guarantee Letters (GLs) are certainly a big help. Thanks to this initiative, they can receive their much needed medicines and/or medical procedures. Grieving families can also expect to receive burial assistance for their departed loved ones.
In times of crisis and emergencies, especially natural disasters — DSWD also provides relief assistance in the form of Family Food Packs (FFPs) and Non-Food Items (NFIs). You can learn more about these items by checking out this article.