The Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office 5 through the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) continuously reaches out to stakeholders, local government units and partners to use the NHTS-PR database in identifying beneficiaries of their social protection programs.
Series of orientations were conducted. In Donsol, Sorsogon last Nov.22, 2012, in San Pascual, Masbate last Jan.10, 2013 and in Cabusao, Camarines Sur last Feb.26, 2013 during the Municipal Advisory Committee (MAC) meetings of each municipality. Likewise, re-orientations to Local Chief Executives were implemented in the municipalities of Vinzons, Capalonga, San Vicente and Sta. Elena in Camarines Norte last February 5-8, 2013.
The NHTU laid down a common understanding about the NHTS-PR and clarified numerous issues and concerns about the program. This also served as venue to encourage the stakeholders to adopt the database in the implementation of their poverty reduction projects and the execution of the convergence strategy of DSWD.
According to Mr. Ciriaco B. Abejuro, NHTS-PR Regional Focal Person, “Strengthening the advocacy implementation like orientations, meetings, radio guestings, distribution of information, education & communication (IEC) materials, press releases and consultation dialogues will be our main focus as part of the advocacy for NHTS-PR.”
The Municipal Advisory Committee (MAC) is an organization composed of municipal mayor as the chairman, the municipal social welfare officer (MSWDO), planning and development coordinator, school district supervisor, local government officer and school heads of covered barangays as members. Its function is to discuss matters pertaining to program implementation as well as problems to the respective areas.
At present, 5 local government units (Sorsogon, Albay, San Pascual, Mobo, Sto.Domingo) and 2 Non-Government organizations (LCC & Tzu Chi Foundation) have entered into Memorandum of Agreement while 75 LGU’s requested and was provided with statistics data.###crbarrameda