The Department of Social Welfare and Development, through the Listahanan, is currently conducting simultaneous training across all regions for field staff who will implement the 2nd round of assessment in the 2nd quarter of 2015.

In 2009, the DSWD conducted the first assessment which resulted to the identification of 5.2 million poor households out of the 10.9 million assessed. These poor households have since become beneficiaries of the Philhealth Indigent Program. Around 4.4 million of them have also been enrolled in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

The upcoming 2nd assessment will enable the department to monitor and track the progress in the lives of these previously-identified poor and identify a new set of poor and near poor households who may be qualified to receive assistance.

“Training is a vital part of our preparation for the assessment. Through this, we can ensure that the staff that we will deploy are equipped with the right knowledge, skills and attitude to undertake the activity and produce high-quality, accurate and reliable output,” stated DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman.

The training also serves as the final part of the screening process, where only those who complete and pass the final exam will be hired.

The five-day training includes lectures on how to conduct the assessment using the family assessment form, roles and responsibilities of each staff, and a practicum or a mock assessment in a nearby barangay.

As of April 2015, more than 47,000 individuals have applied for the 47,644 vacancies for the positions of area coordinators, area supervisor, enumerator, encoders and verifiers for Listahanan. Around 31,000 applicants have been shortlisted and called to attend the training.

In some regions, screening is still ongoing. Applicants are advised to contact the nearest DSWD field office to acquire information as to the schedule of screening in their respective cities and municipalities. ### (written by Krupska Lenina Apit, DSWD Central Office)