For families managing everyday expenses, even a ₱2,000 cash assistance can help cover some of the essentials at home. In Dumaguete City, 1,500 poor and near-poor family heads received ₱2,000 each under the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food and Transport (UPLIFT) during the “Handog ng Pangulo: Serbisyong Tapat para sa Lahat” service caravan on September 14, 2026. For some beneficiaries, the assistance is already being allocated for basic household needs, including food and medicine.
Turning Assistance Into Everyday Essentials
Among the beneficiaries was Bryan Torres of Barangay Taclobo, who shared with the Philippine Information Agency that he planned to use his ₱2,000 for a week's supply of rice for his family of four, groceries, and maintenance medicine. Torres was also waiting for the result of a job application at the time of the payout. For his household, the assistance provided additional resources for necessities while he looked for employment. His experience reflects how beneficiaries can allocate the cash assistance according to their immediate household needs.
₱3 Million Released for Dumaguete Beneficiaries
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) released a total of ₱3 million to the 1,500 Dumaguete beneficiaries during the service caravan. The beneficiaries were identified as poor and near-poor households under Group 2, which consists of households identified through the Philippine Statistics Authority's Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) that are not enrolled in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) or the Walang Gutom Program. Under the expanded UPLIFT program, Group 2 beneficiaries are scheduled to receive ₱2,000 monthly from July through December 2026.
Part of a Wider UPLIFT Program
UPLIFT was created through Executive Order No. 110, signed on March 24, 2026. The order adopted UPLIFT as the government's whole-of-government response framework following the declaration of a national energy emergency amid concerns over global oil production and transportation disruptions. The expanded cash assistance program covers three groups: poor households under 4Ps and the Walang Gutom Program, poor and near-poor households identified through the CBMS, and low-income Social Security System members.
