Re-posted from the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Central Visayas (DSWD 7) clarified that the Listahanan sticker has no monetary value.

“We received reports particularly here in Cebu that people expected to be given cash of P40,000 up to P70,000 once they have the Listahanan sticker. We would like to inform the public that the sticker is proof that a household is already assessed by DSWD. That is the only purpose of the sticker,” said DSWD Regional Director Mercedita Jabagat.

During the second quarter this year, DSWD 7 conducted the Listahanan second household assessment. The agency deployed enumerators in the field to gather socio-economic information to identify who and where the poor are.

After the household is assessed, the enumerator posted the proof of assessment sticker.

“We would like to ask the public not to immediately believe this kind of stories and to stop creating stories which could cause confusion among community residents,” added Jabagat.

“Even if the household was already assessed, it does not mean that it will automatically become a beneficiary of any government program.”

“All collected information from the household will go through a process using a scientific method called Proxy Means Test or PMT,” Jabagat added.

PMT is a statistical model that estimates the income of a household based on the variables included in the family assessment form.

Households with estimated incomes that are equal to and above the latest provincial poverty thresholds will be considered non-poor and those with estimated incomes falling below the poverty thresholds will be considered poor.

“Once the household is identified as poor, they will become potential beneficiaries for various social protection programs of the government like the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program. However, their inclusion in the programs still depends on the programs’ qualifications or criteria,” Jabagat added.