Department Oof Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian. (File photo)
MANILA – The “Listahanan” poverty database program, created by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as a primary reference for the identification of possible beneficiaries of social protection programs and services, will end this year, Secretary Rex Gatchalian said on Tuesday.
He added that the full implementation of Republic Act (RA) No.11315 or the Community Based Monitoring System (CBMS) Act will next be implemented in 2024.
The newly-confirmed DSWD secretary made this known during the Committee on Appointments (CA) panel meeting, a few hours before he was confirmed by the CA plenary.
“The beauty about next year is the CBMS law that Congress passed. Listahanan will end its life this year. We will no longer be creating another Listahanan. So with CBMS being the main driver for a database, LGUs (local government units) will be empowered to make it more responsive,” Gatchalian said in reply to a question from Camarines Sur 2nd District Representative Luis Raymund Villafuerte.
Listahanan is a poverty database that helps the government find the poor and know exactly who they are.
According to the CBMS Act, the creation of a database will be the responsibility of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). Compliant to this provision, the DSWD will no longer be creating another Listahanan database in support of the full implementation of the CBMS law by 2024.
“Listahanan is not responsive as naging kongkreto na yung bahay, nasa Listashanan pa din. Humirap na yung tao pero wala pa din sa listahan (house is already concrete, still it’s in the list. The person becomes poor, and yet he’s not included in the list),” Gatchalian said.
Villafuerte manifested that the DSWD should carefully study the list of beneficiaries, such as the list of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.
The Camarines Sur congressman also suggested that the DSWD should entrust to LGUs the pay-outs of the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation program through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) since the Department lacks the manpower.
Secretary Gatchalian agreed, saying that the DSWD finds the LGUs as partners in development. He added that a MOA for partnership has already been forwarded by the Department for the information of the LGUs.
As the DSWD continues to innovate its services and validate program beneficiaries, Secretary Gatchalian assured the public that the Department will work with the LGUs as it will be needing their help on infrastructures and their knowledge of their constituents. (PNA)
