The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Monday, August 17, expressed optimism over the decrease in Filipino families considering themselves poor, attributing the trend to expanded government safety net initiatives.
The agency issued its official response following the release of the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) nationwide survey, which showed self-rated poverty dropping to 49 percent in June from 52 percent recorded in March.
“The latest SWS survey showed that the Marcos Administration’s sustained investments in social protection and anti-poverty programs have helped poor families and vulnerable sectors address their immediate needs while improving their capacities to become self-sufficient,” DSWD Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Irene Dumlao said.
The second-quarter 2026 poll by SWS was conducted between June 20 and 29, sampling 1,200 adult respondents across the country.
“The decline in self-rated poverty is encouraging and we will use it as a reference to continue strengthening our social protection programs focusing on human capital investments, sustainable livelihoods, food security, and community resilience,” Dumlao said.
The DSWD cited flagship measures driving the drop in poverty and hunger, including the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), the Walang Gutom Program (WGP), and the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP).
The 4Ps grants conditional financial aid to low-income households to support education and healthcare, the WGP supplies food support via electronic benefit transfer cards to food-poor households, and the SLP helps disadvantaged families start small businesses or secure sustainable income sources.
Additionally, the social welfare department highlighted emergency cash relief under the Unified Package for Livelihood, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT), designed to shield vulnerable sectors from global fuel price surges caused by Middle East tensions.
Under UPLIFT’s initial rollout in March, the agency distributed ₱5,000 each to public transport workers affected by soaring fuel costs. Around 1.8 million public utility vehicle drivers, motorcycle taxi riders, delivery personnel, and ride-hailing drivers received the targeted assistance.
“The DSWD’s cash relief assistance is part of the efforts of the Marcos administration to help all vulnerable sectors under the Unified Package for Livelihood, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT),” Dumlao said.
For the second phase of the UPLIFT program, the DSWD has started dispersing ₱2,000 cash grants to 4.71 million poor, near-poor, and low-income Filipinos.
Beneficiaries are grouped into three main tiers: Group 1 includes active 4Ps and WGP beneficiaries; Group 2 consists of poor and near-poor Filipinos identified under the Philippine Statistics Authority’s 2024 Community-Based Monitoring System who are not enrolled in 4Ps or WGP; and Group 3 comprises 1.5 million low-income Social Security System members.