CEBU – THE DEPARTMENT of Social Welfare and Development in Central Visayas has clarified that the “Listahanan” sticker does not have monetary value.
DSWD Regional Director Mercedita Jabagat said they received reports in Cebu that people are expected to be given cash worth P40,000 to P70,000 once they have the Listahanan sticker.
“The sticker is proof that the household is already assessed by DSWD which is the sole purpose of the sticker. We would like to request the public not to immediately believe any kind of stories and to stop making stories which could cause confusion among community residents,” Jabagat said.
“Even if the household was already assessed, it does not mean that it will automatically become a beneficiary of any government program,” she added.
All collected information from the household will go through a process using a scientific method called Proxy Means Test or PMT – a statistical model that estimates the income of household based on the variables included in the family assessment form.
“We use the PMT because we want to identify the poor in the most objective, systematic and transparent manner,” Jabagat said.
Households with estimated incomes that are equal to and above the latest provincial poverty thresholds will be considered non-poor and those with estimated incomes falling below the poverty thresholds will be considered poor.
“Once the household is identified as poor, they will become potential beneficiaries for various social protection programs of the government like the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program. However, their inclusion in the programs still depends on the programs qualifications or criteria,” Jabagat said.
Aside from being identified as poor from Listahanan, a Pantawid Pamilya progam partner beneficiary must have children aged 0-18 or have a pregnant family member at the time of the assessment and must be willing and able to comply with the conditionalities of the program as part of their co-responsibilities.
It was the second quarter of this year that DSWD conducted the Listahanan second household assessment, according to DSWD Listahanan Information Officer Kerwin Macopia.
Macopia said DSWD deployed enumerators in the field to gather socio-economic information to objectively identify who and where the poor are and after the household is assessed, the enumerator will then post the proof of assessment sticker. (Juju M. Empuerto)
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