HONTIVEROS URGES DSWD: FAST TRACK POVERTY SURVEY TO INCLUDE 'NEW POOR' IN PANTAWID PROGRAM

Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday urged the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to swiftly validate its database of poor households under Listahanan 3, saying that there are many Filipinos who are now considered 'new poor' and will be eligible as beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

"DSWD should immediately complete Listahanan 3 to accommodate more beneficiaries in 4Ps especially now that more Filipinos have been pushed into poverty due to the pandemic," she said.

"Kailangang bilisan dahil napakabilis din ng pagkalat ng virus. Marami na ang naikonsiderang 'new poor' na nawalan ng trabaho at kabuhayan na kailangang makatanggap ng cash assistance mula sa gobyerno," Hontiveros added.

Listahanan, otherwise known as the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR), is a database of poor households and used as basis in identifying potential beneficiaries of social protection programs and services.

DSWD was supposed to use the updated database as basis for 2021 appropriations, but reverted back to the old list as the validations were still ongoing.

Hontiveros stressed that DSWD can initially release the Listahanan 3 for barangays within National Capital Region (NCR), Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan and Rizal where the livelihood of households may have been affected due to the added restrictions.

"Pwedeng unahin ang mga barangay sa NCR plus lalo't may additional restrictions sa mga lugar na ito," she said. "Alam ng mga kapitan kung ilan ang pwedeng madagdag na pamilya na sakop nila dahil sila mismo ang katulong ng DSWD dyan. May mga pangalan yan kaya konkreto sa isip nila ang benefits kung ang mga nasa listahanan 3 ay isali na ngayon," she said.

Hontiveros noted that while cash assistance in tranches such as the Social Amelioration Program helped families from sliding back into poverty, an institutionalized cash assistance scheme like 4Ps should be able to consistently provide unconditional cash transfers to help poor and new poor households navigate through prolonged pandemic and recession.

"There are an estimated 1.5 million new poor households even with cash dole-outs from the government," she said citing the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS).

"Kung maisasama ang new poor na ito sa 4Ps at iba pang social portection programs, hindi na patingi-tingi ang pag-aabot ng ayuda. Siguradong may pagkukunan ang ating mga kababayan, para makatawid sila habang walang trabaho o kailangang magsara ng maliit na tindahan," Hontiveros concluded.