The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Central Visayas clarifies that the list of poor households posted in the barangay halls is the initial list of the third round of household assessment or Listahanan 3 identified poor, which is the subject of the ongoing validation.

“The list is not yet final. We are still in the validation and finalization phase of the Listahanan 3, wherein the community has the opportunity to review the list’s accuracy,” says Regional Director Rebecca Geamala.

The validation activity is done to ensure that the Listahanan 3 database is complete, accurate, and reliable before it is shared with the various stakeholders. The public validation of the initial list of poor is conducted to respond to issues of under-coverage and inclusion of non-poor households.

During the fourth quarter of 2019, DSWD conducted the data collection and analysis phase of the Listahanan 3.

The hired Listahanan enumerators gathered the socio-economic information through a house- to-house interview. After the household assessment, the enumerators would post the Listahanan sticker as proof of assessment.

“Based on the schedule, the DSWD slated the validation phase of Listahanan 3 in the first quarter of 2020. However, we postponed the activity due to the pandemic,” Geamala explains.

Geamala encourages those poor households who were not yet assessed and were not included, in the initial list of Listahanan 3, to file their grievances in their respective barangays or local government units.

She says the area supervisors will receive complaints and endorse it to the Barangay Verification Team (BVT) and the Local Verification Committee (LVC).

The public can file their complaints through the assigned Listahanan area supervisor during the scheduled date in the barangay hall.

The Listahanan also accepts grievances through the online platform. The complainant can log on at the https://listahanan.dswd.gov.ph/grievance/.

The BVT, which is composed of the village chief, the first village councilor, the councilor in charge of social services, and the two representatives from the civil society or people’s organizations, review the appeals or grievances from the community.

The LVC, which is composed of the Local Chief Executive or his/her duly authorized representative, the Local Social Welfare and Development Officer, the Local Planning and Development Coordinator, and at least two representatives from non-government organizations, resolves all grievances and appeal. It can also recommend for re-assessment if needed.

Once endorsed by the LVC, the validators will then reassess the households. The data gathered during the reassessment will be subjected to the Proxy Means Test (PMT) to determine their poverty status. This activity ensures the integrity of the database before sharing it with other government agencies and social protection stakeholders.

The PMT is a statistical model that estimates the incomes of households based on the variables included in the household assessment form.

The Listahanan considered the household poor whose estimated incomes are 10% above the provincial poverty threshold.

The DSWD-7 also clarifies that having been assessed or included in the list of poor would not automatically make the household beneficiary of any government program.

“Once a household is identified as poor, it becomes a potential beneficiary for various social protection programs of the government. However, its inclusion in a certain program still depends on the program’s qualifications or criteria,” Geamala underscores. ###

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