Malacañang said Tuesday that the first tranche of the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) has reached about 6.49 million Filipinos.
The Office of the Executive Secretary (OES) said in a statement that the government had disbursed a total of ₱19.55 billion for the program as of Oct. 7.
UPLIFT was expanded on the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. It targets 7.5 million vulnerable families affected by rising global oil and commodity prices.
Under the expanded program, about 3.5 million beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and the Walang Gutom Program will each receive a one-time additional cash assistance of ₱2,000.
The program also covers about 2.5 million poor and near-poor households identified through the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS), and 1.5 million low-income workers and families validated through the Social Security System (SSS). Beneficiaries under the CBMS and SSS groups will receive ₱2,000 per month from July to December.
Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said the government will consider the findings of a recent survey to improve how assistance is delivered and to find ways to give workers more sustained support.
The Social Weather Stations (SWS) conducted the survey on May 26 to 27. It was commissioned by the Australian government’s Social Protection, Inclusion and Gender Equality (SPRING) Program and covered 1,200 registered beneficiaries of cash relief from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
The survey found that 96 percent of the 1,200 transport workers surveyed, who had received ₱5,000 in fuel assistance under UPLIFT, said the aid helped them stay on or return to their routes.
Recto welcomed the results and said the independent survey gave concrete feedback on how government assistance was reaching its intended beneficiaries.
“This is proof that the President’s timely assistance is working and making a big difference,” Recto said.
Recto also noted that the survey pointed to gaps in coverage. More than a third of respondents were not enrolled in any government program, including the SSS and PhilHealth.
“This points to an opportunity to use the DSWD’s existing beneficiary database as a gateway to connect more vulnerable workers with other government services and social protection programs,” Recto said.
