The Province of Kalinga is set to use the DSWD’s database of poor households for its local anti-poverty initiatives after its provincial government recently forged a data sharing agreement with the Department of Social Welfare and Development – Field Office Cordillera through the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction or Listahanan.

Listahanan is an information management system that identifies who and where the poor are in the country. It makes the database of poor households available as basis for identifying potential beneficiaries of social protection programs and services.

Provincial Planning and Development Officer Flordeliza Moldero said the Listahanan will help the province triangulate data to update its socio-economic profile which is the main reference for its provincial development plan. She also said the provincial government plans to use the database in identifying beneficiaries of its social protection programs particularly the “Pumiyaan” – a poverty reduction strategy that aims to provide skills training, financial assistance, and equipment support to poor families and communities.

For her part, Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer Digna Dalutag expressed her gratitude to the DSWD for sharing the data. She underscored the benefits of having the needed information to inform local social protection policies. According to her, the Listahanan will help her office plan, program, and allocate resources especially for sectoral groups since specific profiles of individuals are needed to help match appropriate programs for them.

The DSWD has released the database to the provincial government after a series of orientation activities as well strict adherence to DSWD data sharing requirements in compliance with the Data Privacy Act of 2012. The data sharing agreement was signed by Kalinga Governor Jocel C. Baac and DSWD Regional Director Janet P. Armas.

For the DSWD, the regional director congratulated the province of Kalinga for being the first province in the Cordillera to sign a data sharing agreement with the Department. She also encouraged other local government units, national government agencies, and other organizations to maximize the use of Listahanan in assisting more poor families and individuals through data sharing. #DSWD-CAR, SOCIAL MARKETING UNIT, Mark Erik King Guanzon