DSWD: UPLIFT beneficiaries can send representatives to claim cash aid

Beneficiaries of the Unified Package for Livelihood, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) program may send representatives to claim their cash assistance as distribution begins Monday, July 20, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) announced. "Actually, they may send their representatives. This is the difference between the UPLIFT assistance and the previous cash relief assistance distribution—this time, it is targeted," DSWD spokesperson Irene Dumlao said in an interview on "Unang Balita." "So we know which other family members could represent our UPLIFT beneficiary. So there is a means of verification." President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier said the UPLIFT assistance program would benefit 7.5 million households, or 37.5 million Filipinos nationwide, amid rising fuel prices. Specifically, Marcos said 3.5 million households enrolled in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and the Walang Gutom Program would receive a one-time additional assistance of up to P2,000. Likewise, 1.5 million low-income workers and their families, as verified by the Social Security System (SSS), will receive P2,000 per month from July to December. Assistance will also be extended to 2.5 million "poor" and "near-poor" households identified through the 2024 Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS). The DSWD, however, clarified that households classified as "poor" in 2025 or 2026 are not yet included in the list of beneficiaries because the program relies on 2024 CBMS data. "This is the explanation from the PSA and regarding the CBMS, because the data is from 2024. If there were changes in the well-being of our fellow Filipinos in 2025 and 2026, they are not included or covered by the UPLIFT assistance. But our appeal is that when the next enumeration is conducted, you should make sure to be interviewed or enumerated," Dumlao said. — MCG, GMA News