LEGAZPI CITY, Sept 4 (PIA) – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) regional office here launched the first Regional Profile of Poor Households of Bicol for the use of agencies and organizations as basis in formulating programs and projects for the vulnerable and disadvantaged sectors of the community.

DSWD 5 regional director Arnel B.Garcia said the the database dubbed “Listahanan” is an offshoot of the survey through the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTSPR ) that can be utilized by government and private sectors in planning and employng interventions essential to the marginalized sectors.

“DSWD is politically and ideologically blind, with the “Listahanan” we are assured that only the real poor benefits on the poverty reduction interventions of the department and other agencies and organizations which make use of our database,” he stressed.

The profiling of poor households was determined by through the regionwide household assessment conducted from 2009 to 2011. It includes the features, magnitude, situationer and other statistical data gathered from 461, 242 identified poor households in the region.

Garcia explained that the approach aims to present the value of statistics in presenting the poverty status of the region which is a major consideration in the development of local poverty reduction strategies.

He said updating of this data will be done in this region on the last quarter of this year which will also be part part of the 2nd nationwide assessment.

The profile was already launched in Masbate, Albay and Camarines Sur last month and in Camarines Sur, Sorsogon and Catanduanes this month.

DSWD, added Garcia, also conducted orientation on the programs of the department during provincial launching of the profile to encourage local government units and chief executives to support and properly implement the social services carried out in their areas.

The NHTSPR database has also been the basis of national government agencies in identifying beneficiaries of their social protection programs to ensure unified targeting system and objective database of poor households. (MAL/SAA-PIA5/Albay)