Davao City- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is set to start the Listahanan validation and finalization phase in October.

“The validation phase will enable the Department to review the preliminary list of poor, non-poor, and near-poor households,” said Director Priscilla N. Razon of DSWD.

It also aims to facilitate identification of wrong entries, inclusion of households not assessed, and integration of changes based on merit towards an accurate and credible final list of poor, Director Razon explained.

DSWD will organize a Local Verification Committee (LVC) to resolve complaints and appeals received during the validation period.

Members of LVC include the Local Chief Executive (LCE), Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officer (MSWDO), Municipal Planning & Development Officer (MPDO), two officers designated by the LCE and Listahanan Area Supervisor.

The types of complaints/grievance that can be filed during validation are: 1] Exclusion Complaint Type 1 – refers to a claim that a specific household should be included in the List of Poor but is in the Listahanan Database as non-poor; 2] Exclusion Complaint Type 2 – refers to a claim that a specific household should be included in the List of Poor but was not interviewed during the regular assessment; and 3] Inclusion Complaint Type 1 – refers to a claim that a specific household should not be in the List of Poor.

To implement the validation phase, DSWD hired 98 supervisors, 554 enumerators, 166 encoders, and 166 verifiers.

Razon encouraged the public to participate in this activity to ensure that the final results will be reliable, complete and accurate.

Region XI had a total of Php 85,584,333.00 budget for the recently concluded second round of assessment, employing 2,300 field workers.

“Following this second round Listahanan assessment, DSWD expects to have an expanded and updated database of poor. This will also serve as a tool in determining potential beneficiaries of existing and future programs and services of the department and other agencies,” Director Razon added. (DSWD)