The government will not automatically add funds to the expanded Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) program despite projected increases in oil prices, Malacañang said Tuesday, adding that any funding boost would depend on documented requests from implementing agencies.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) would evaluate requests on a case-by-case basis as the government prepares to help Filipinos affected by the Middle East conflict and other emergencies.
“Hindi po maglalaan ng additional funding for UPLIFT. Depende po ito sa magiging actual na pangangailangan at request ng mga concerned implementing agencies (There will be no additional funding specifically allocated for UPLIFT. It will depend on the actual needs and requests of the concerned implementing agencies),” Castro said during a Palace briefing.
She said the government may also need to assist Filipinos affected by typhoons and floods, separate from the economic fallout of the Middle East crisis.
Fuel prices rose again Tuesday, with pump prices climbing by as much as ₱5.68 per liter in the latest round of increases. Castro said the DBM could release additional funds to implementing agencies once they submit complete supporting documents outlining their needs.
Asked whether any balance remains from the ₱400 million the DBM released in August for the expanded UPLIFT program, Castro said she had not yet verified the current figure.
Castro also said UPLIFT would not require a standalone budget line in the proposed 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP), since the program operates under a whole-of-government approach involving multiple agencies rather than a single funding source.
“Iyong UPLIFT Program is a whole of a government approach, hindi po kinakailangan na may isang single stand-alone budget item for this (The UPLIFT Program is a whole-of-government approach, so it does not need a single, stand-alone budget item for this),” she said.
Castro reiterated that any additional funding for the program would be based on the actual requirements submitted by concerned agencies, instead of a fixed allocation tied specifically to UPLIFT.
