Manila: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Monday warned the public against fake Facebook pages and online posts offering 'UPLIFT educational assistance' in exchange for personal information through unauthorized registration links.

According to Philippines News Agency, the social media posts falsely claimed that the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) program provides educational assistance amounting to PHP2,000 for elementary, PHP3,000 for junior high school, PHP5,000 for senior high school, and PHP8,000 for college students. DSWD spokesperson Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao urged the public to be vigilant and avoid clicking suspicious links that falsely use the Department's name and branding.

'Paalala po natin sa ating mga kababayan na walang educational assistance sa ilalim po ng ating UPLIFT Assistance. Ito pong assistance na ito ay tulong maibsan ang epekto ng pagtaas ng presyo ng mga bilihin (We remind the public that there is no educational assistance under the UPLIFT. This assistance is specifically to ease the effects of rising food prices),' Dumlao said in a news release.

She clarified that qualified UPLIFT beneficiaries under Groups 2 and 3 receive PHP2,000 per month in line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., and noted that the Department does not post online registration links for the program. 'Wala pong registration para po sa UPLIFT Assistance dahil predetermined na po ang mga beneficiaries nito batay sa latest CBMS (Community-Based Monitoring System) data kaya mangyaring huwag po i-click ang inyong mga makikitang link na nagsasabing maaari kayong magparehistro dahil scam po ito (There is no registration for the UPLIFT Assistance because its beneficiaries are already predetermined based on the latest CBMS data, so please do not click any links you see claiming that you can register, as this is a scam),' Dumlao said.

The DSWD spokesperson reminded the public to be more discerning and refrain from providing personal information to suspicious links. 'Ang pinakamainam po ay i-verify muna ang impormasyon sa (The best course of action is to verify the information first in) official communication channels ng DSWD,' Dumlao said.

The UPLIFT Assistance is one of the initiatives of the Marcos administration that provides financial aid to ease the economic burden of poor, near-poor, and low-income Filipinos due to the effects of the energy emergency brought about by the geopolitical conflict in the Middle East.

For verified information on UPLIFT Assistance and other DSWD programs and services, the public may contact the Department through its official social media pages (@dswdserves) and submit their inquiries through the DSWD Online Grievance Portal (i-grs.dswd.gov.ph).