BALANGA CITY (PIA) — Some 208 poor and near-poor households in Balanga City, Bataan, received the first tranche of the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) Assistance, helping ease the burden of rising food, transportation, and other daily expenses.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) released the initial P2,000 cash assistance on August 14 during a payout activity at Waltermart Balanga.
Belonging to Group 2 of the program, the beneficiaries were identified through the 2024 Community-Based Monitoring System of the Philippine Statistics Authority and are not beneficiaries of the DSWD’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and Walang Gutom Program.
According to the DSWD, the program aims to help qualified families meet their immediate needs and cushion the impact of increasing prices of basic commodities and other household expenses.
Under the initiative, each qualified beneficiary will receive P2,000 monthly until December 2026.
For the first payout, the agency conducted face-to-face distribution to validate beneficiary information and ensure the accuracy of records before the program shifts to digital transfers for succeeding releases.
The payout in Balanga City forms part of the continuing rollout of the UPLIFT program in Bataan, with DSWD Field Office 3 bringing the assistance closer to communities across the province since the pilot distribution on July 20 and making government support more accessible to eligible families.
For Ofelia Castañeda of Barangay Tuyo, whose husband Juanito is among the beneficiaries, the assistance will help address urgent family needs.
The couple depends mainly on seasonal farm work, earning around P300 to P400 a day during rice planting, which usually lasts only two to three months.
After the planting season, they take on whatever work is available, including laundry, domestic work, and extra construction jobs, while raising seven children who are still in school.
Castañeda said rising prices have forced the family to tighten its budget, leaving them with little opportunity to save.
“Ito pong tulong na ito ay magagamit namin pambili ng bigas at para sa pag-aaral ng mga anak namin. Maraming-maraming salamat po sa DSWD sa tulong na natanggap namin ngayon sa UPLIFT program ng pamahalaan,” she said.
Meanwhile, 69-year-old Claro Velasco of Barangay Cupang Proper said he and his wife now rely largely on support from their children.
“Sa hirap ng buhay ngayon at taas ng presyo ng mga bilihin, talagang nakakaraos na lang kami sa araw-araw ng asawa ko. Kaya nagpapasalamat kami sa pamahalaan at sa DSWD sa tulong na ito na natanggap namin, na gagastusin namin sa aming pang-araw-araw na pangangailangan,” he shared.
The UPLIFT program is being implemented under the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to provide immediate financial support to low-income households affected by rising living costs, while making the delivery of assistance more accessible through community-based and digital distribution mechanisms. (Rick P. Quiambao)
