Cordillera Administrative Region– The information system of the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) or Listahanan under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) now features data on social protection programs and services availed by poor households in the region.

Among the programs and services identified include the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, Social Pension Program and Sustainable Livelihood Program of the DSWD and the health insurance provided by Philhealth.

Regional Field Coordinator Lilia Rose A. Say-awen said that the National Households Targeting Unit (NHTU) Information System provides transparency by showcasing the socio-economic profile of the identified poor household in the region.

“It is a search engine that facilitates and assists users by providing data and answering their queries,” Say-awen added.

Executive Order 867 series of 2010 andthe National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) Memorandum Circular No. 1 series of 2009 states the adoption of the NHTS-PR as the mechanism for identifying poor households nationwide who will be recipient of social protection program. Moreover, the Regional Development Council – CAR Executive Committee Resolution no. 72 series of 2012 also enjoins the use of NHTS-PR as the common reference for the identification and determination of beneficiaries at all levels.

Aside from list of services and programs availed by poor households, the NHTU Information System also features information of poor households in the region such as list of households and their status like poor, non-poor, or not assessed and statistical profile from regional down to household level. Variables used as criteria for identifying status of households such as housing condition, health and education are also included in the information system.

The data of poor households featured in the NHTU Information System is generated from the household assessment conducted by the NHTS-PR in 2009 and conduct of on-demand application and validation in 2010.

Say-awen added that the department is now working on identifying other programs and services availed by the household members like Supplementary Feeding Program and local government units’ services like scholarships and assistance to individuals in crisis situation (AICS).

“Availability of such data will significantly help in monitoring and evaluation of the various efforts extended to the poor households and the well-being of poor households members,” Say-awen said.

Though the NHTU Information System can be viewed only in the DSWD regional field office to maintain confidentiality of family identifications, Say-awen said that the system will soon be incorporated in the DSWD-CAR website under the NHTS-PR page to feature statistical data of poor households.

In a separate statement, DSWD-CAR Regional Director Leonardo C. Reynoso encourages the public to avail of this service to address their concerns regarding the NHTS-PR data.

Individuals who are interested to access the NHTU Information System can visit the DSWD Regional Field Office at #40 North Drive, Baguio City, beside NBI and BIR-CAR. Students are also encouraged to browse the system and use the data in their researches.# DSWD-CAR, SOCIAL MARKETING UNIT, KAYE ANN O. MAPALO