By Brian Campued
As the country continues to experience the effects of the prolonged Middle East crisis, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. underscored the need to expand the assistance provided by the government to help Filipino families cope with higher fuel costs and prices of basic goods.
“Kapag tumataas ang gastusin, mas bumibigat ang pasanin ng bawat pamilyang nagsisikap tugunan ang kanilang pangangailangan, lalo na ang mga Pilipinong nasa laylayan ng lipunan,” President Marcos Jr. in a video message posted on his official Facebook page Thursday.
Building on the Unified Package for Livelihood, Industry, Food and Transport (UPLIFT) program established through Executive Order (EO) No. 110, the President said the government is rolling out a series of cash aid grants expected to benefit 7.5 million households, or around 37.5 million Filipinos nationwide.
Under the UPLIFT assistance, around 3.5 million beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and the Walang Gutom Program will receive a one-time additional cash assistance of up to P2,000.
The government will also provide support to 2.5 million poor and near-poor households identified through the 2024 Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS).
Meanwhile, around 1.5 million low-income workers and their families whose records have been verified by the Social Security System will receive P2,000 monthly from July to December.
“Layunin ng UPLIFT assistance na mapangalagaan ang kakayahan ng mga pamilyang Pilipino na matustusan ang kanilang pang-araw-araw na pangangailangan. Kasabay nito, pinalawak natin ang saklaw ng tulong upang mas maraming Pilipino ang makinabang sa programa,” Marcos Jr. said.
“Titiyakin ng pamahalaan na maipagkaloob ang tulong na ito nang mabilis, maayos, at mas maginhawa para sa mga Pilipino sa pamamagitan ng digital na pamamaraan,” he added.
Following the issuance of the President’s EO 110 in late March, the government has provided targeted assistance to sectors most affected by the surge in fuel prices, benefiting transport workers, farmers, fisherfolk, and low-income families.
In a Malacañang press briefing Thursday, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro confirmed that the funds for the UPLIFT assistance amounting to P12.375 billion have already been released by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
-jpv
