DSWD to Roll Out P2,000 Uplift Aid Amidst Energy Emergency

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is set to begin the rollout of its cash assistance under the expanded Unified Package for Livelihood, Industry, Food and Transport (Uplift) program this week. Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian announced at a press briefing on Friday that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had declared the Uplift assistance as the "pivot or the next stage of our financial assistance for our fellow citizens in light of the energy emergency," referencing the escalating tensions in the Middle East. The program targets three main groups of beneficiaries. The first comprises 3.5 million households enrolled in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and the Walang Gutom Program (WGP). The second includes 2.5 million poor and near-poor households identified through the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS). The third group consists of 1.5 million low-income members of the Social Security System (SSS). Households under the 4Ps and WGP will receive a one-time cash aid of P2,000. Meanwhile, CBMS-identified households and qualified SSS members will each receive P2,000 monthly for six months, from July to December. For 4Ps beneficiaries, the cash aid will be credited directly to their Land Bank of the Philippines or GCash accounts. WGP beneficiaries will receive their assistance through manual payouts during their scheduled food redemption periods. The DSWD will conduct an initial manual payout for the 2.5 million CBMS beneficiaries, as they represent a new group, before transitioning to digital payments. Local government units will assist in organizing the payout schedules. However, Gatchalian clarified that the beneficiary list is solely derived from the PSA’s CBMS data and does not include information from any local or national officials.