The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said it will begin distributing cash assistance under the government's Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) program next week, with about 7.5 million poor, near-poor, and low-income households set to receive the aid.

The assistance is part of the government's response to the impact of higher fuel prices brought about by tensions in the Middle East.

Speaking at a joint press briefing on Friday, July 17, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the beneficiaries are divided into three groups.

The first group covers 3.5 million households enrolled in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and the Walang Gutom Program.

Another 2.5 million poor and near-poor households identified through the Philippine Statistics Authority's (PSA) Community Based Monitoring System (CBMS) will receive the assistance, while the third group consists of 1.5 million low-income members of the Social Security System (SSS).

Under the program, 4Ps beneficiaries will receive a one-time ₱2,000 cash grant through their Land Bank or GCash accounts.

Walang Gutom Program beneficiaries will receive the same amount through manual payouts during their scheduled food redemption.

For the 2.5 million CBMS identified households, beneficiaries will receive ₱2,000 a month from July to December 2026.

DSWD said near-poor households are those whose income is above the poverty threshold but within 25 percent of it.

Gatchalian said the list of beneficiaries was taken from the CBMS database maintained by the PSA.

“Wala itong political interference. Wala tayong kinuhang listahan mula sa kahit kaninong local government official o public official. Hinango natin ito mula sa Community Based Monitoring System na ang may hawak ay ang Philippine Statistics Authority (There was no political interference. We did not obtain the list from any local government official or public official. We sourced it from the Community Based Monitoring System maintained by the Philippine Statistics Authority),” he said.

The social welfare secretary said the first payout for CBMS beneficiaries will be done manually in coordination with local government units to verify recipients before shifting to digital payments for the remaining five months.

During the initial payout, beneficiaries will also be asked to choose their preferred digital payment channel.

Meanwhile, the 1.5 million qualified SSS members will receive ₱2,000 a month from July to December through their registered disbursement accounts.

The SSS said eligible beneficiaries are members with a monthly salary credit of less than ₱20,000.

SSS Pensions Administration Department Manager Maria Joyce Obispo said the assistance will be granted on a per household basis.

If two or more qualified SSS members belong to the same household based on CBMS records, only the oldest member will receive the assistance.

Gatchalian said payouts for all three groups will begin next week, with the government aiming to complete most, if not all, of the distribution before the end of July.

“Kailan sisimulan itong tatlo? Yung sa pangkat number one, as early as Tuesday tapos na iyan kasi ike-credit lang iyan. Ganun din sa group number three. Yung group number two, sisimulan na natin ang manual payout, validation, at enrollment ng kanilang digital accounts starting next week nationwide. Ang goal natin ay matapos ang malaking porsyento o halos lahat nito bago matapos ang Hulyo (When will these three groups receive the assistance? For Group 1, the distribution could be completed as early as Tuesday since the funds will simply be credited to beneficiaries' accounts. The same goes for Group 3. For Group 2, we will begin manual payouts, beneficiary validation, and enrollment of their digital accounts nationwide next week. Our goal is to complete a large majority, if not almost all, of the payouts before the end of July),” he said.

Gatchalian said the amount of the assistance was based on studies by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, which examined the level of support needed to help vulnerable households cope with higher fuel prices and prevent them from falling deeper into poverty.