BUTUAN CITY- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-Caraga through the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) is continuously encouraging the Local Government Units (LGUs), National Government Agencies (NGAs), Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), and other partner-stakeholders to avail the statistical data of the updated Listahanan Database.

As to date, a total of 19 LGUs requested for the statistical data to be used for their planning and formulation of the Social Protection Development Report (SPDR) and others.

At present, the Department cannot yet share the list of the families identified in the updated Listahanan Database due to the full implementation of R.A. 10173, otherwise known as the Data Privacy Act (DPA) of 2012. With this, the department is required to revise first its policies on information disclosure and data sharing.

According to Regional Director Minda B. Brigoli, the guidelines of DSWD in sharing of data generated by the NHTS-PR and the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) are being revised to ensure alignment with the provisions of the law.

However, she clarified that once the DSWD-Central Office finalize the new guidelines and the National Privacy Commission (NPC) will give authority to DSWD to resume the data sharing, the partner-stakeholders will have to enter into an agreement using the revised MOA on data sharing to access the updated Listahanan 2 Database.

The NHTS-PR also known as Listahanan, is an information management system that identifies who and where the poor nationwide. This updated Listahanan database provides credible and comprehensive information on poor individuals/households as basis in determining eligible beneficiaries and developing responsive social protection programs, policies, and services. ###(ABEGAIL R. ALVAREZ/Social Marketing Unit/DSWD Field Office Caraga)