PALAYAN CITY (PIA) — Beneficiaries of the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) Assistance in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija, said the P2,000 cash aid would help meet their families’ immediate needs, including food, medicines, and other essential household expenses.
A total of 879 qualified beneficiaries in the city received assistance under the program launched by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in coordination with the local government unit and other agencies.
According to the DSWD, the UPLIFT Assistance aims to provide financial support to help protect the livelihoods of Filipinos and strengthen the country’s economy.
Among the beneficiaries is 47-year-old Fernando Combe of Barangay Atate, who said the assistance would help him purchase medicines and support his two children’s schooling after an accident left him unable to work.
“Yung ganitong halaga ay napakalaking tulong na dahil napakahirap hanapin ng pera ngayon lalo na po sa kalagayan ko ngayon na hindi makapag hanapbuhay. Salamat po at malaking tulong itong ginawang programa ng ating pangulo para matugunan ang pangangailangan ng mga kagaya naming mahihirap,” he added.
(An amount like this is a very big help because it is very difficult to find money nowadays, especially in my situation where I can no longer work. Thank you, because this program of our President is a great help in addressing the needs of people like us who are poor.)
Combe also expressed hope that the government would continue implementing programs that provide assistance to vulnerable families.
The DSWD said the program covers three groups of beneficiaries.
Group 1 consists of households under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and Walang Gutom Program.
Group 2 includes poor and near-poor households whose income falls within 25 percent above the poverty threshold based on the 2024 Community-Based Monitoring System conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority and the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development.
Group 3 covers low-income workers and their families identified by the Social Security System.
Under the program guidelines, beneficiaries under Group 1 receive a one-time P2,000 cash assistance, while those under Groups 2 and 3 receive P2,000 per household monthly from July to December 2026. (CLJD/MAECR, PIA Region 3-Nueva Ecija)
