Tunis:The first tranche of the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) assistance has reached approximately 6.49 million Filipinos, as stated by Malacañang.
According to Philippines News Agency, as of October 7, the government has distributed a total of PHP19.55 billion for the UPLIFT Program. This initiative, which was expanded under the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., is designed to assist 7.5 million vulnerable families impacted by rising global oil and commodity prices.
The expanded UPLIFT program provides a one-time additional cash assistance of PHP2,000 to around 3.5 million beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and the Walang Gutom Program. Additional beneficiaries include approximately 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 via the Social Security System (SSS). Beneficiaries under CBMS and SSS will receive PHP2,000 per month from July to December.
Executive Secretary Ralph Recto stated that the government plans to consider the findings of a recent survey to enhance assistance delivery and identify ways to provide more sustained support to workers. The survey, conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) on May 26 to 27, revealed that 96 percent of 1,200 surveyed transport workers who received PHP5,000 in fuel assistance under UPLIFT found the aid beneficial in maintaining or resuming their routes.
Recto expressed satisfaction with the survey results, which were commissioned by the Australian government's Social Protection, Inclusion and Gender Equality (SPRING) Program. The survey demonstrated that government assistance was effectively reaching its intended beneficiaries. He also highlighted the opportunity to strengthen social protection, as over a third of respondents were not enrolled in any government program, such as the SSS and PhilHealth. Recto suggested using the Department of Social Welfare and Development's (DSWD) existing beneficiary database to connect more vulnerable workers with additional government services and social protection programs.
