DAVAO City (DSWD XI) – A total of 280,325 poor households were identified by Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as the most deserving to benefit from social protection programs following its administration of the second round Listahanan assessment.

According to DSWD Policy and Plans Division Chief and Listahanan Focal Person Estrella D. Brigole, who presented the regional results on Tuesday during the Listahanan 2 launch, the above figure surfaced out of the 836,567 households enumerated by DSWD in 2015.

Listahanan 2 reveals that among the five provinces, Compostela Valley tops with 18.84% share or 52,811 poor households. Davao Oriental comes next with 18.74% or 52,542 households followed by Davao Del Norte with 15.94% or 44,689 households then Davao Occidental with 15.14% or 42,454 households, and finally Davao Del Sur with 14.71 or 41,230 households. Being highly urbanized, Davao City registered 16.62% or 46,599 households.

“The Listahanan database on the targeted poor households were collected through a comprehensive, objective and transparent house-to-house assessment,” Brigole said.

The DSWD enumerated all families in rural-classified barangays and by pockets of poverty in urban-classified barangays.

Of the total households enumerated, 32% reside in urban areas while 67.90% live in rural areas.

Highlights of Listahanan 2 include: 1] 47.67% are women while 52.33% are men; 2] children constitute 33.82% of the total targeted poor population; 3] 138,278 are fisher folks, farmers and foresters; 4] 61,461 are senior citizens; and 5]12,591 are persons with disability.

“Aside from the demographics of the population covered in Listahanan 2, other information such as access to safe water and electricity, quality of housing materials, tenure status of the family’s house and lot and specific occupations were covered,” Brigole said.

“Indeed, the Philippines and Brazil are the only two countries in the world to have succeeded in establishing such a comprehensive data base or “social registry” to identify poor and vulnerable beneficiaries of government programs,” World Bank Senior Economist Pablo A. Acosta stressed during the recent Listahanan 2 Launch here.

Acosta added that the World Bank values the opportunity to partner with the Philippines in support of Listahanan 2. “We consider Listahanan an important pillar for continued institutional development in the Philippines, one that helps to secure efficient and effective use of government resources and enables transparent, objective and fair identification of poor and vulnerable beneficiaries of government programs.” (DSWD)