Cayetano claims Marcos rejected P10K aid post-election win

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano claimed that President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. rejected plans to distribute P10,000 aid to qualified beneficiaries recovering from the pandemic after his 2022 presidential election victory. "So, in 2021—heading into 2022—I said that many still hadn't recovered, so our budget could afford to provide assistance. But after President Marcos won, he didn't want to," Cayetano stated in a Facebook livestream posted on Friday, July 17, 2026. He added, "But every single year, I ask our Chairman of Finance about it—the financial aid ranges from 200 to 300, sometimes 400 billion. So, it is feasible. It is possible to provide 10k." The senator's remarks came a day after Marcos announced the government's expansion of the United Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) program, which provides financial assistance to indigent Filipinos affected by rising fuel prices due to the Middle East conflict. Cayetano questioned the timing and scale of the government's assistance, saying, "But the past two days, there have been so many — beautiful amounts being announced. So they told me, 'Sir, there's still 12k, so that's why it's 10k.' Why only now, 2026? We already know the answer. Or what's the answer? Well, they stole the hundreds of billions before giving them to you, right?" GMA News Online reached out to the Palace for comment but has yet to receive a reply as of posting time. Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) announced that the distribution of cash aid under the expanded UPLIFT program will commence on Monday. The DSWD outlined the beneficiary categories: Group 1 includes 3.5 million households from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and Walang Gutom Program, receiving a one-time additional assistance of up to P2,000. Group 2 comprises 2.5 million poor and near-poor households not part of 4Ps, and Group 3 includes 1.5 million SSS members with a monthly salary credit of P20,000 or below. Beneficiaries in Groups 2 and 3 are set to receive P2,000 monthly for the next six months, totaling P12,000 by December 2026. --BAP/ VAL, GMA News