Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman urges the public to validate the initial results of the 2nd round of assessment of poor families or Listahanan which will be made available this November.

The Department, which conducted an assessment of 15.3 million households since April this year, will post the initial list of poor in conspicuous areas within barangays such as markets, schools, churches and barangay/municipal/city halls, among others.

“We need the public to participate in making sure that the final list will be accurate, complete, and reliable. We advise everyone to wait for the announcement of our Field Offices as to the start of the validation phase in their respective regions,” Sec. Soliman said.

Families are encouraged to appeal or notify the Listahanan Area Supervisor at the barangay should they find the list incomplete.

The DSWD has partnered with Local Government Units (LGU) and Civil Society Organizations (CSO) in organizing a Local Validation Committee (LVC) that will act on complaints and appeals received.

Those who were not assessed but appealed during the validation phase, will be visited by a Listahanan enumerator.

“This activity is a very important part of the Listahanan project cycle especially since the final list will become the basis for identifying those who will become beneficiaries of government programs and services,” Sec. Soliman added.

Executive Order 867 series of 2010 has mandated national government agencies to use the Listahanan database.

Most notable national government programs that provide assistance to the Listahanan-identified poor are the Department’s own conditional cash transfer program known as Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and the Philippine Health Insurance (Philhealth) Indigent Program.###