THE Department of Social Welfare and Development in Davao Region ((DSWD-Davao) has disbursed a total of ₱123,254,000 in Uplift cash assistance to 61,627 households across the Davao Region as of August 18, the agency said in a Facebook post.
Uplift, or the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport, was adopted under Executive Order No. 110, which President Marcos signed on March 24 declaring a state of national energy emergency amid fuel price hikes driven by the conflict in the Middle East. The program funds cash assistance for workers and families affected by the resulting spike in fuel and transport costs, and has been rolling out since July.
During the Kapehan sa Dabaw media forum on Monday, DSWD Social Welfare Officer 4 Berlita Silagan said Uplift beneficiaries are divided into three groups: group one, composed of regular Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program beneficiaries, who received a one-time cash assistance credited directly to their accounts; group two, covering near-poor and poor households identified through DSWD, who receive ₱2,000 monthly until December; and group three, covering low-income employed individuals under SSS, whose assistance is likewise credited monthly to their accounts until December.
DSWD Project Development Officer Pia Irsol Pedres said the agency has served nearly half of its 116,000 target beneficiaries under group two in the Davao Region as of mid-August. As of August 15, cumulative payouts across the region stood at 3,224 in Davao City, 10,145 in Davao de Oro, 9,374 in Davao del Norte, 11,089 in Davao del Sur, 12,839 in Davao Occidental, and 11,176 in Davao Oriental, she said.
Pedres said group two's initial payout is being conducted manually, requiring beneficiaries to present a national ID or other government-issued ID, with Davao City's manual payout scheduled to run until August 20. She said beneficiaries are encouraged to open a bank account or e-wallet so that succeeding payouts can be released digitally instead.
Group one's cash assistance, targeting 3.5 million beneficiaries nationwide, was already credited directly to beneficiaries' accounts as a one-time release in the last week of July, Pedres said.
Silagan said DSWD is coordinating closely with the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) and barangay officials to notify beneficiaries of payout schedules and venues. Those without a bank account or e-wallet may be able to receive their next payout digitally by the second week of September, once account registration is processed, she said.
SSS Mindanao South Division acting senior communications analyst Mona Lorraine Tombo said the agency covers group three, targeting 1.5 million beneficiaries nationwide, of which more than 978,000 have already received assistance.
To qualify, a member must be employed with a monthly salary credit of ₱20,000 or below, cross-matched against the 2024 Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) database from the Philippine Statistics Authority, she said. Members must also have an active, non-dormant disbursement account as of April 30, and must have posted at least one SSS contribution within 2025 or 2026, Tombo said, adding that self-employed individuals may also qualify provided they meet the low-income threshold, subject to verification.
Beneficiaries are notified solely through their SSS member portal, not through text messages, calls, or in-person visits, Tombo said, citing the prevalence of scams using the SSS name.
"We don't send through text, we don't notify through text, or email. We notify through their SSS portal," she said, adding that this measure is meant to protect members' sensitive personal information from scammers. GRS
