The Department of Social Welfare and Development-Negros Island Region (DSWD-NIR) has disbursed a total of PHP125.23 million in cash assistance to qualified beneficiaries of the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food and Transport (UPLIFT) in Negros Occidental.

Data released on Tuesday showed that since the payout started last month, 62,615 poor and near-poor beneficiaries have received PHP2,000 each.

“The distribution of the PHP2,000 cash assistance per beneficiary forms part of the UPLIFT initiative aimed at providing immediate financial support to qualified poor and near-poor households,” DSWD-NIR said in a statement.

Personnel of the DSWD, local government units and other partners “remain on the ground to ensure that the assistance reaches qualified beneficiaries efficiently and accountably,” according to a news release.

Kabankalan City has the highest number of beneficiaries in the region, with 9,529 recipients set to receive financial assistance Aug. 10 to 15.

In highly urbanized Bacolod City, a total of 3,000 beneficiaries are qualified for the UPLIFT cash aid during the three-day payout until Aug. 12.

Up north, a total of 4,289 beneficiaries in San Carlos City received financial assistance Aug. 3 to 7.

In central Negros, cash aid was also released to 2,769 beneficiaries in Isabela town on Aug. 6 to 8.

A total of 1,493 beneficiaries in La Carlota City received the UPLIFT financial aid on July 30 and 31.

Beneficiaries or households classified as poor or near-poor are qualified to receive PHP2,000 each month from July to December this year.

The program helps target households meet their essential needs while strengthening their economic resilience. It generates the list of beneficiaries through the Community-Based Monitoring System of the Philippine Statistics Authority to ensure that the assistance reaches eligible households based on validated socio-economic data. (PNA)