Thousands of vulnerable households in Negros Oriental began receiving the first tranche of government cash assistance on Monday under the Unified Package for Livelihood, Industry, Food and Transport (UPLIFT) program.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development-Negros Island Region (DSWD-NIR) simultaneously launched the program in two pilot local government units (LGUs) in Negros Oriental and three in Negros Occidental.
John Michael Rollorata, Social Welfare and Development team leader for Negros Oriental, said the province’s pilot areas are Dumaguete City and the municipality of Vallehermoso.
UPLIFT is a government initiative established by Executive Order No. 110 in March, which declared an energy emergency and aims to cushion the impact of rising fuel costs on vulnerable sectors.
The program covers three beneficiary groups: households enrolled in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and the Walang Gutom Program; poor and near-poor families identified through the Philippine Statistics Authority’s 2024 Community-Based Monitoring System; and low-income earners whose payouts will be facilitated by the Social Security System.
“Each qualified household will receive PHP 2,000 monthly from July to December”, Rollorata said.
“Beneficiaries are encouraged to register for a virtual wallet account to facilitate faster and more convenient distribution of succeeding cash grants,” he added.
While the initial payout was conducted manually, the DSWD set up a help desk to assist recipients in creating virtual wallet accounts. Those without accounts or who are unfamiliar with digital transactions may authorize a household member with a virtual wallet account to receive assistance on their behalf.
The three-day payout in Dumaguete City until Wednesday is expected to benefit 2,907 households, while 2,477 households in Vallehermoso are also scheduled to receive assistance.
In Negros Occidental, the program was rolled out in Hinigaran, benefiting 3,160 households; Sagay City, with 2,500 beneficiaries; and Talisay City, where 4,625 households are covered.
Rollorata said the DSWD will continue the UPLIFT rollout in other LGUs across the region, including Siquijor province, in the coming weeks.
Among the recipients was Agustina Reyes Duran, 31, of Barangay Cadawinonan here, who expressed gratitude to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for the assistance provided.
She said the monthly cash aid would help her family cope with daily expenses, particularly the rising cost of basic commodities and fuel amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East. (PNA)
