A total of 56,059 poor and near-poor households across the Negros Island Region have received P2,000 each under the Unified Package for Livelihood, Industry, Food, and Transport Assistance (Uplift) program, with P112,118,000 in financial assistance disbursed, as of Aug. 5, the Department of Social Welfare and Development-NIR said.
The DSWD-NIR, in coordination with local government units, offices of district representatives, and other partner agencies, continues to conduct simultaneous payouts for Group 2 beneficiaries across the region.
Group 2 are qualified households identified through the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS).
The DSWD-NIR also reminds beneficiaries that any qualified household member included in the family roster may claim the assistance, provided that the recipient is not a minor.
An authorization letter is not required when the qualified household member personally claims the assistance.
The DSWD reiterated that the Uplift assistance being provided to poor, near-poor, and low-income Filipinos, including qualified members of the Social Security System (SSS), is funded by the national government through the DSWD.
The assistance is one of the initiatives of the Marcos administration that provides financial aid to ease the economic burden of poor, non-poor, and low-income Filipinos due to the effects of the energy emergency brought about by the geopolitical conflict in the Middle East.
“Nais po naming linawin at bigyang diin na ang Uplift assistance ay programa ng ating pamahalaan at ito ay funded under the DSWD’s budget. The financial assistance being released to qualified SSS beneficiaries does not come from their contributions, hindi po ito kukunin o ibabawas sa mga hinuhulog ninyo,” assistant secretary Irene Dumlao said Aug. 6.
Dumlao, also the DSWD spokesperson, explained that while the SSS helped identify qualified beneficiaries and facilitate the disbursement of the financial assistance, the fund comes entirely from the DSWD and the national government.
She also clarified that not all members are covered by the program since beneficiaries were identified based on specific criteria provided by SSS to ensure that assistance reaches those who need it most. The list of SSS beneficiaries was based from the 2024 CBMS of the PSA.
For SSS beneficiaries, they must be employed SSS members with a monthly salary credit (MSC) of less than P20,000, have paid at least one SSS contribution from 2025 to 2026, and have an enrolled SSS disbursement account. ||
