Representatives from various national government agencies and local government units attended the launching.
DSWD Regional Director Teodulo Romo, in his short message said, the database is a ‘goldmine’ for researchers and a veritable source of data which could be used for social protection programs.
“NHTS-PR database provides a human face to the statistics of poor individuals which used to be just mere cold numbers,” Romo expressed.
“The database identifies who and where the poor are as well as provides other information such as socio-economic profile of the family,” he added.
The NHTS-PR which was institutionalized in 2009 was designed in line with the pursuit of the agency for a focused and purposeful targeting of the poor.
DSWD programs such as the Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program, Social Pension for Indigent Social Citizens have used the NHTS-PR data in identifying their beneficiaries.
Philhealth and the Department of Health (DOH) have also entered into Memorandum of Agreements (MOA)with DSWD on the use of the data as basis for identifying their beneficiaries for social protection programs.
Mr. Hasan Alfad of the DSWD Planning Unit, referring to his situationer on the poverty incidence in the country, revealed that Alicia in Sibugay Province, Dimataling in Zambo Sur and Siayan in Zambo Norte are the top-poorest municipalities when data are grouped per province. (JPA/NZB/DSWD9/PIA9-Zambo City)
