135,834 4Ps Beneficiaries in Central Visayas Get ₱2,000 UPLIFT Aid—But Who Gets the Next Payout?

CEBU CITY, Philippines — More than 135,000 families enrolled in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in Central Visayas have received a one-time ₱2,000 cash assistance under the government’s expanded Unified Package for Livelihood, Industry, Food and Transport (UPLIFT) program.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office 7 (DSWD-7) reported that 135,834 4Ps beneficiaries in the region received the assistance on July 20, 2026.

Of that number, 102,443 beneficiaries are from Cebu while 33,391 are from Bohol, according to DSWD-7 Regional Director Shalaine Marie S. Lucero.

The regional agency said it achieved a 100-percent payout for Central Visayas’ 4Ps beneficiaries on July 20.

₱2,000 UPLIFT aid reaches 4Ps households

The UPLIFT program was launched as the government responds to the economic pressure created by rising fuel costs and their potential impact on food, transportation and other household expenses.

Nationally, the expanded program targets 7.5 million households, or an estimated 37.5 million Filipinos, through three beneficiary groups.

The first group consists of beneficiaries of the 4Ps and Walang Gutom Program, who are entitled to a one-time cash assistance of up to ₱2,000.

For 4Ps beneficiaries, the money is credited through their existing LandBank cash cards or registered GCash accounts, rather than requiring them to line up for a manual payout.

The distinction is important: the ₱2,000 UPLIFT payment for 4Ps beneficiaries is a one-time assistance, not a new monthly 4Ps grant.

Cebu and Bohol account for all 135,834 recipients

Central Visayas’ first UPLIFT group covers beneficiaries in Cebu and Bohol.

The breakdown reported by DSWD-7 is:

• Cebu: 102,443 4Ps beneficiaries
• Bohol: 33,391 4Ps beneficiaries
• Central Visayas total: 135,834 beneficiaries

The figures were also reported by Cebu-based media as DSWD-7 rolled out the program across the region. The Freeman reported earlier that approximately 135,000 beneficiaries were included in the first group, with roughly 102,000 in Cebu and 33,000 in Bohol.

UPLIFT does not end with the 4Ps payout

While the 4Ps payout has already been completed in Central Visayas, thousands of other households remain part of the broader UPLIFT rollout.

The second group covers poor and near-poor households identified through the 2024 Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) of the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Nationwide, this group has a target of 2.5 million households, with qualified recipients receiving ₱2,000 per month from July through December 2026.

In Central Visayas, DSWD-7 identified 152,672 households for Group 2:

• Cebu: 98,350 households
• Bohol: 54,322 households

Unlike the 4Ps beneficiaries’ one-time payment, Group 2 beneficiaries are scheduled for six monthly releases, potentially totaling ₱12,000 per qualified household from July to December.

Another group of workers is also being targeted

UPLIFT’s third group focuses on low-income Social Security System members.

According to DSWD-7, qualified workers must have a monthly salary credit of ₱20,000 or below and must have made at least one SSS contribution in 2025 or 2026.

Qualified Group 3 recipients are also set to receive ₱2,000 monthly for six months, from July through December 2026, subject to the program’s eligibility and validation requirements.

The SSS provides potential beneficiary data to DSWD, which then cross-checks the information against the PSA’s CBMS database.

The assistance is given per household rather than per individual, meaning multiple eligible SSS members living in the same household do not each receive a separate payment. Pensioners are not included in this category.

What if your name is not showing?

The rollout has also generated questions from residents who expected to receive assistance but could not immediately find their names in the UPLIFT system.

Cebu Daily News reported that DSWD-7 clarified that seeing “No Record Found” in the UPLIFT Government-to-Person application does not automatically mean that a person has been rejected or is permanently ineligible.

Eligibility depends on the beneficiary group, government databases and the validation process being conducted by the implementing agencies.

For Group 2 beneficiaries, the PhilSys National ID is a key identification requirement, while PSA personnel are assisting people who do not yet have a National ID.

DSWD-7 said the identification and validation process is designed to prevent duplication while making sure assistance reaches households that meet the program’s criteria.

Why the UPLIFT program matters

The cash assistance comes as Filipino households continue to feel the effects of higher fuel and commodity costs.

The national DSWD has described UPLIFT as part of the government’s response to the energy emergency and its economic consequences. The program is designed not only to provide immediate cash relief but also to prevent vulnerable households—particularly those considered near-poor—from slipping deeper into poverty.

For Central Visayas, the immediate milestone is significant: all 135,834 4Ps beneficiaries targeted under Group 1 had already been paid as of July 20.

But the larger UPLIFT rollout is still unfolding.

With 152,672 additional Central Visayas households targeted under Group 2, and qualified low-income SSS members covered under Group 3, attention now shifts to who qualifies for the succeeding rounds of assistance—and when the money will reach them.

For thousands of families, the next question is no longer whether UPLIFT exists. It is whether their household is among those next in line.