BALANGA CITY (PIA) — What used to be a painful choice between buying rice or medicine became less difficult for 58-year-old Marilyn Flores of Barangay Wawa after she received P2,000 in cash assistance under the government’s Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) Assistance Program.
Flores was among 337 beneficiaries from Abucay, Bataan who received the initial payout from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on August 12 at the Abucay People’s Center.
The assistance forms part of the government’s social protection efforts to provide immediate financial relief to poor and near-poor households facing economic hardship.
Flores earns a living by collecting and selling plastic bottles and other recyclable materials washed ashore along the coast, earning about P300 to P400 in a good week.
When there are no plastics to gather, she accepts extra work cleaning mussels for P200 to P300 a day.
Her husband also depends on seasonal mussel harvesting, earning about P600 when work is available, but bad weather often leaves the family without income.
“Katulad ngayon, bumabagyo at isang linggo na kaming walang kinikita. Kaya nagpapasalamat ako sa tulong na P2,000 dahil magkakaroon ako ng pambili ng bigas at gamot. May sakit kasi akong bato sa apdo, at sumasakit ang tiyan ko kaya hindi ako makatulog sa gabi,” Flores said.
Despite her illness, she went to the payout site because she had already run out of medicine.
“Ngayon wala na akong pambili ng gamot kaya kahit may sakit ako, pinilit kong pumila para sa tulong na ito. Salamat po dahil may pambili na ako ng gamot,” she added.
Another beneficiary, 49-year-old Carina Arre of Barangay Salian, said the assistance came at a time when she was struggling to support her family after the death of her husband a year ago.
Now a single mother of three, Arre earns a living by doing laundry for other households, bringing in only P300 to P600 a week, while two of her children continue their studies and one has stopped schooling to help support the family.
“Nagpapasalamat po ako sa ating Pangulo at nakatanggap po ako ng P2,000. Ako po ay single mother at kamamatay lang po ng asawa ko. Malaking tulong po ito sa amin dahil may tatlo akong anak,” she said.
Arre said she plans to use part of the money to buy roofing sheets for their leaking house.
“Pambili ko rin po ito ng yero dahil butas ang bubong ng bahay namin at malakas ang tulo ng tubig kapag umuulan. Sinasalo lang po namin ng palanggana,” she explained.
She also welcomed the continuation of the monthly assistance, which she said would help her meet daily needs and support her children’s schooling.
“Malaking tulong po na may buwan-buwan kaming matatanggap na P2,000 dahil marami kaming pangangailangan sa araw-araw at may mga anak akong nag-aaral,” Arre added.
Beneficiaries in Abucay belong to Group 2 of the program, which covers poor and near-poor households identified through the Philippine Statistics Authority’s 2024 Community-Based Monitoring System database based on the program’s eligibility guidelines.
Qualified beneficiaries are set to receive P2,000 monthly until December 2026, with the DSWD initially conducting face-to-face payouts to validate beneficiaries’ information before shifting to digital transfers for succeeding releases.
For Flores, the assistance will help buy food and medicine, while for Arre, it will help repair their roof and support her children’s schooling. (CLJD/RPQ, PIA Region 3-Bataan)
