The Cordillera Administrative Region office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-CAR) has launched the distribution of a ₱2,000 financial stipend to 53,212 individuals falling under the initial two beneficiary groups of the Unified Package for Livelihood, Industry, Food and Transport (UPLIFT) initiative.
Based on reports from the department, 35,934 beneficiaries enrolled in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) were provided their entire ₱12,000 allocation—representing ₱2,000 monthly across a six-month duration—directly into their digital wallets prior to the official rollout.
The remaining 17,278 individuals consist of households identified as poor or near-poor under the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS).
Enrique Gascon, officer-in-charge regional director for DSWD-CAR, noted that cash distribution operations were launched concurrently in various locations throughout the Cordillera region.
”We have simultaneously kicked off the payout for the beneficiaries in Abra, Benguet and two sites in Mountain Province today with 1,485 beneficiaries,” Gascon said in an interview.
Out of the recipients belonging to the second group, 15,793 individuals have not yet received their financial support while officials work to finalize their registration credentials.
Gascon clarified that processing the second category will require additional time, as candidates must register for the Philippine Statistics Authority’s national ID program and establish bank or digital wallet accounts, alongside enrolling in the DSWD’s government-to-person framework.
”We are doing it manually right now. We need to do all of this registration on the first payout so that on the second payout, they do not have to queue and devote time for the payout schedule as their financial assistance will already go directly to their account,” he said.
He noted that the department now accepts the national ID as the sole document for verification, which can also be utilized for setting up bank accounts and e-wallets.
Recipients under Groups 2 and 3 are set to receive monthly disbursements of ₱2,000 spanning six months.
Gascon indicated that the UPLIFT scheme, established following instructions from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., is designed to cushion vulnerable groups against the ongoing energy crisis.
The effort targets three distinct classes of recipients: 4Ps families, poor and near-poor households tagged by the CBMS, and active Social Security System (SSS) members whose qualifications are currently undergoing verification within the agency’s main database.
The final count for qualifying SSS members remains under assessment, with eligibility capped at individuals making no more than ₱13,383 a month.
Regarding the CBMS tier, poor households are categorized as those led by breadwinners with a maximum monthly income of ₱13,383, whereas near-poor households are defined as those earning up to 25 percent above that baseline.