Pangasinan: A total of 44,081 out of the 54,022 household beneficiaries in Pangasinan have received the initial payout for the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) assistance through the Department of Social Welfare and Development as of Aug. 18.
According to Philippines News Agency, the beneficiaries are part of Group 2, or the indigent and near-poor, based on the 2024 Community-Based Monitoring System of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). Each household received PHP2,000.
Babylyn Barbosa, a beneficiary in this town who received the aid during the payout on Wednesday, said the amount is very helpful, especially during the rainy season or the lean months due to the rainy season. "It is for our daily living expenses. Thank you very much to our government for the financial help they gave my family," she said in an interview.
Marife Cadioma, meanwhile, said she would use the amount to buy rice and for her grandchildren's needs. Arsenio Ganuelas expressed his gratitude, saying he would use the amount to purchase his family's needs and thanked President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for introducing the program.
The beneficiaries were among the 1,587 in Malasiqui, Pangasinan who have received the initial payout. Municipal Social Welfare Officer Heidi Mendoza, in a separate interview, stated that they were part of the 3,315 beneficiaries in the town. The first batch of beneficiaries received the initial payout on July 31.
"The next payout, from the second to the sixth tranche, will not be a manual payout. It would be deposited on their digital wallets or banks," Mendoza said.
Earlier, DSWD - Ilocos Region Director Marie Angela Gopalan mentioned that the beneficiaries are part of the poor and near-poor, or those 25 percent above the poverty threshold, as determined by the 2024 Community-Based Monitoring System of the PSA and the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development. "This was introduced by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. due to the energy crisis to help those at the poverty line through cash relief assistance under the DSWD's Assistance to Individuals in Crisis program," she explained.
