Nearly 10 out of 10 surveyed tricycle and jeepney drivers and other transport workers who received P5,000 in fuel assistance under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s UPLIFT program said the aid helped them stay on the road amid soaring fuel prices, according to a Social Weather Stations survey.
The survey, commissioned by the Australian government’s Social Protection, Inclusion and Gender Equality (SPRING) Program and conducted among 1,200 registered Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) cash relief beneficiaries on May 26–27, 2026, found that 96% said the P5,000 UPLIFT fuel allowance helped them stay on or return to their routes.
Executive Secretary Ralph G. Recto welcomed the findings, saying the independent survey provides concrete feedback on how government assistance is reaching its intended beneficiaries.
“Mahalaga ang ganitong mga survey dahil nakikita natin kung talagang nakakarating sa tao ang suporta ng gobyerno at kung paano ito nakakatulong sa kanilang pang-araw-araw na buhay. This is proof that the President’s timely assistance is working and making a big difference,” Recto said.
The findings also show that the assistance provided relief beyond transport-related expenses, with eight in 10 beneficiaries reporting that they used part of the grant to buy food.
Overall, 84% of beneficiaries expressed satisfaction with the personnel who handled the disbursement.
The survey likewise identified opportunities to strengthen social protection, noting that more than a third of respondents were not enrolled in any government program, including the Social Security System (SSS) and PhilHealth.
“This points to an opportunity to use the DSWD’s existing beneficiary database as a gateway to connect more vulnerable workers with other government services and social protection programs,” Recto stressed.
Recto noted that the government would use the findings to improve assistance delivery and identify ways to provide workers with more sustained support.
“Gagamitin natin ang mga natutuhan sa survey na ito para mapahusay ang paghahatid ng tulong at maiugnay ang mas maraming manggagawa sa mga programang magbibigay sa kanila ng mas matibay na proteksiyon sa oras ng pangangailangan,” Recto also said.
Upon President Marcos Jr.’s directive, the government expanded its cash assistance under the UPLIFT program, targeting 7.5 million vulnerable families to help cushion the impact of rising global oil and commodity prices.
Beyond transport workers, the expanded program covers beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and the Walang Gutom Program; poor and near-poor families identified through the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) who are outside these two programs; and low-income workers covered by the SSS.
As of October 7, the first tranche of assistance already reached 6.49 million Filipinos, representing PHP 19.55 billion in aid distributed.