BACOLOD City – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) launched the pilot implementation of its digital payout system for beneficiaries of the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) program at the Bacolod City Government Center lobby on Tuesday.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian led the launch alongside Mayor Greg Gasataya and Negros Occidental 5th District’s Rep. Dino Yulo.
During the ceremonial rollout, 52 UPLIFT beneficiaries directly received their second-tranche financial assistance through the digital wallet platform GCash.
The digital payout will eventually cover 2,245 Bacolod residents who have previously received assistance under the program’s first tranche.
Gatchalian explained that beneficiaries registered with an electronic wallet or basic deposit account no longer need to line up at physical payout centers. He encouraged unregistered recipients to sign up for platforms like GCash, Maya, or bank-linked account to streamline future financial aid.
Currently, only about 20 percent of program beneficiaries have registered digital accounts, prompting the DSWD to push more beneficiaries to enroll in digital payment services. Qualified beneficiaries receive P2,000 monthly from July to December to cushion the impact of the energy emergency and support household purchasing power.
Gasataya, for his part, welcomed the initiative, noting that digital payout system makes the delivery of government aid faster, more transparent, and more direct.
The DSWD clarified that manual payouts will temporarily continue for beneficiaries who do not yet have access to digital payment platforms./PN
