DSWD NHTSPR in P’que underway

In support of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTSPR) Program, the Parañaque City Government under the leadership of Mayor Florencio Bernabe, Jr., has started with its “On-Demand Application” in the city.

On-Demand Application is an activity than provides an opportunity for households which were not included or assessed during the regular enumeration conducted in 2009 to be included in the database.

It is also a tool increasing benefits that go to the poor within a fixed budget. Popularly known as “Talaan ng Sambahayan”, the DSWD program aims to identify the “poorest of the poor” that have been missed on account of the following reasons: Household members’ (HH) absence during the regular enumeration; no qualified respondent; or HH refusal to be interviewed.

More specifically, the NHTSPR has been designed to meet the following objectives:

1) To unify the criteria for the selection of the poorest population; 2) To create a database of socio-economic variables of households; 3) To use the database to identify beneficiaries of social protection programs; and 4) To reduce leakage of non-poor and under coverage of exclusion of poor in social protection services.

The program has also been set to achieve the following goals:

1) Ensure that limited resources reach the “poorest of the poor”; 2) Improve coordination among Social protection agencies and 3) Standardize the criteria for the selection of the poorest population.

At present, interviews and registration for the NHTSPR are being conducted by the Parañaque DSWD headed by Mr. Dean Calleja, in coordination with DSWD-NCR at the city hall grounds.

It will be done in the said venue for 10 days. Registration requirements include one valid identification card or a barangay certificate of residency.

“The best way for the anti-poverty program or any program for that matter to be effective is to have a uniform norm for the selection of the poorest population; establish appropriate database; and make sure that benefits due reach them.”, Mayor Bernabe said.

The mayor credits the Parañaque DSWD for its many programs that provide assistance, benefits and protection for children, indigent citizens, victims of calamities, the elderly as well as those with disabilities (PWDs), women and children victims of violence and abuse, even street children and CICL (Children in Conflict with the Law).