Over 84,000 near-poor families in Eastern Visayas to receive P2,000 monthly aid from DSWD

Posted on July 21, 2026 at 3:52 am

TACLOBAN CITY — More than 84,000 families in Eastern Visayas who are considered “near-poor” will receive P2,000 a month for six months under a new Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) assistance program aimed at helping households cope with rising prices.

DSWD Eastern Visayas Regional Director Grace Subong said the program is part of the government’s response to the economic impact of rising energy costs and inflation.

She said the assistance targets families who are not classified as poor enough to qualify for existing social welfare programs but remain vulnerable to sudden increases in the cost of living.

“The moment that prices increase, sila ang pinakamadihado (they are the most disadvantaged),” Subong said.

In Eastern Visayas, the DSWD identified 84,316 beneficiaries after removing duplicate names from existing government assistance programs, including the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and the Walang Gutom Program.

The initial rollout covers 12 distribution sites across the region, including the cities of Tacloban, Ormoc, Borongan, Baybay, Catbalogan, and Maasin, as well as the municipalities of Alang-alang and Sogod.

Subong stressed that the list of beneficiaries was prepared by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) using data from the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS).

Because of this, she said the DSWD and local government units cannot add names to the list.

“Hindi kami basta-basta lang magtanggap ng pag may mag-approach sa amin na ‘Uy, hindi man ako nasama.’ It is because hindi kami yung nag-identify. It is the Philippine Statistics Authority na data,” she said.

The DSWD is also shifting the program to digital cash transfers.

While beneficiaries are receiving their first payment through manual distribution, they are also being enrolled for digital accounts through GCash or LandBank by completing the required Know Your Customer (KYC) process.

Once their accounts are activated, the remaining monthly assistance until December will be deposited directly into their accounts.

Subong said the digital payment system is expected to make the distribution faster and reduce the need for beneficiaries to line up every month. The agency is also using an hourly data-tagging system to monitor payouts and verify that assistance goes only to legitimate beneficiaries.

The DSWD hopes to complete the initial distribution by early August.

Subong also appealed for patience, especially among beneficiaries who are unfamiliar with digital transactions, as personnel assist them in opening and verifying their accounts.

She reminded recipients to use the assistance for their families’ daily needs.

“Ang perang ito ay para po sa kanilang day-to-day na pangangailangan. Sana naman gastusin nila doon sa ano ba talaga yung para sa pamilya at hindi siya nagagamitin sa mga bagay-bagay na hindi nakakatulong,” she said.

The program is expected to provide temporary financial relief to thousands of families in Eastern Visayas who are at risk of slipping into poverty as living costs continue to rise.

Photo credit: DSWD Eastern Visayas