National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction

Mongolians learn from DSWD's Targeting System

Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman discusses with Mr. D. Dondog, Member of the Parliament of Mongolia and head of delegation (upper photo). Secretary Soliman thanked the Mongolian delegates for visiting the Philippines and hoped that this study tour will contribute to the efforts of their government in helping the needy people in Mongolia.

Delegates from the Government of Mongolia recently visited the Philippines to study the implementation of National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) in the country. NHTS-PR is an information management system that identifies who and where the poor are.

A new light with NHTS-PR On-Demand Application

Hundreds of residents queued the lined outside the barangay hall of Langogan, a rural area situated some 80 kilometers north of Puerto Princesa City proper. All of them want to be included in the database of poor households.

Evelyn Abrina, of Sitio Makandring, Barangay Langogan, is one of the hopeful residents on the line.

“Nalaman ko dati sa kapitbahay namin na may application daw sa city hall para mapasama sa talaan ng mahihirap ng DSWD. Binigyan niya pa kami ng flyers (I learned from a neighbor that there is an on-going application to be included in the DSWD list of the poor being held at our city hall. She even gave us flyers),” Evelyn said.

Upon learning about the On-Demand Application (ODA), Evelyn rushed to the city hall to apply for an assessment. There she waited along with other residents of Puerto Princesa seeking to be included in the database. However, she was one of those who could not be accommodated due to the large number of applicants in the city hall.

“Wala na po akong pamasahe para bumalik noong sumunod na araw kaya hindi na ako nakapunta sa city hall (I did not have money to spend for my fare so I was not able to go back to the city hall the following day),” she added.

Evelyn has five children. She and her husband do not have permanent jobs so they support the family by planting and selling vegetables. Both of them did not finish high school.

800,000 Poor Households Identified by NHTS-PR Receive Free Health Cards

Some 800,000 poor households identified under the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) project of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) received free PhilHealth cards during the nationwide Philhealth Sabado held last October 2, 2010.

The registration day of PhilHealth aimed at ensuring that all Filipinos gain access to financial protection for their health care needs. It targets non-PhilHealth members to register in the health insurance program.

During the ceremonial distribution of PhilHealth cards to identified indigent families in Tondo held at the President Corazon C. Aquino High School, President Benigno Aquino III encouraged poor families to be aware of their rights to healthcare.