THE Department of Social Welfare and Development through the Listahanan: Talaan ng Pamilyang Nangangailangan, formerly called National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) will now use 46 variables in identifying poor families on its second round of household assessment.

This is against the 34 variables used during the first round of assessment in 2009 and conduct of on-demand application and special validation from 2010 to 2012.

Listahanan Regional Field Coordinator Lilia Rose Say-awen said that the additional variables will help improve the targeting system of the Listahanan that will reduce inclusion of the non-poor and exclusion of the poor in the Proxy Means Test (PMT).

PMT is a statistical model that estimates the income of households based on proxy variables included in the household assessment form (HAF) used by the Listahanan. The income of the household can be predicted with the use of these proxy variables as well as it can eliminate manipulated response from the respondents.

“With the use of proxy means test, we can do away with political interference,” Say-awen added.

The new variables to be included in the new HAF are household characteristic and site condition, educational attainment and detailed classification of occupation of the family members among others.

Say-awen also clarified that though the assessment will still be by household, the new HAF will be able to identify the number of families per household.

“Family disaggregated data will aid social protection programs who intend to identify beneficiaries by family and not by household,” Say-awen added.

At least 260, 000 households are expected to be assessed on the second round of household assessment by the Listahanan at the end of this year.

The assessment aims to further update the list of poor families eligible to receive social protection programs and services such as Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and Sustainable Livelihood Program of the DSWD, Philhealth sponsorship and other government programs which uses the DSWD’s data base of poor as a basis. (Kaye Ann Mapalo)