Barangays urged to create team to assess list of poor households

BAGUIO CITY – The city council in a resolution has encouraged the 128 barangays in the city to create a barangay verification team to assess the initial list of poor households under the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) conducted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and to review appeals and grievances in the community that might arise regarding the program.

Vice Mayor Faustino Olowan, main author of the resolution, said the barangay officials have a significant role to play in the successful and fair implementation of the NHTS-PR, thus the request for the creation of the said team in the grassroots level.

The barangay verification team shall consist of the punong barangay, the first-in-rank sangguniang barangay member, the sangguniang barangay member in-charge of social services, and two representatives from the civil society or people’s organizations or faith groups in the barangay.

The NHTS-PR or also known as the “listahan” is an information system meant to identify the poor people nationwide who are potential beneficiaries of the social protection programs and services of the government.

In a separate resolution, the council has also requested Mayor Benjamin Magalong to reconstitute the Baguio City Local Verification Committee which was created by virtue of Administrative Order No. 017, Series of 2015 issued by former Mayor Mauricio Domogan.

According to the council, several members of the committee no longer work with the government, thus the need to reconstitute its composition in preparation for the third round of household assessment.

In 2015, the Department of the Interior and Local Government issued memorandum Circular 2015-69 encouraging local government units to support the project by allowing the DSWD being the lead implementing agency to conduct assessment in identifying pockets of poverty. The memorandum circular also sought the creation of a local verification committee responsible for the resolution of complaints and appeals of individuals or groups regarding the implementation of the project. -Jordan G. Habbiling