SAN FERNANDO CITY, July 28 -- The Department of Social Welfare and Development-Ilocos Region (DSWD-1) has provided cash relief to 817 household-beneficiaries under the expanded Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) program as of July 27, the agency reported Tuesday.

Of the total, Pangasinan beneficiaries totaled 11,695, Ilocos Sur (1,694), La Union (374), and Ilocos Norte (54), each receiving the initial monthly assistance of PHP2,000.

"I am grateful that we will receive cash assistance until December this year, since we really need it. The amount I received is not for me but for my three children," Bonifacio Gonzales Tapiador, a beneficiary from Pangasinan, said in Filipino during an interview.

DSWD-1...