DSWD Field Office V would like to make a clarification regarding a post that has been circulating on social media, alleging that according to the Department’s data, the Province of Camarines Sur is the poorest province in the Bicol Region.

During the recently-conducted Media Forum last 09 December 2021, the Field Office reported only the initial result of the National Household Targeting System or Listahanan 3 Survey on the number of poor households in the Bicol Region. Listahanan results serves as the main basis in the identification of beneficiaries of DSWD programs such as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), Social Pension Program (SOCPEN), and Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), among others. Hence, Camarines Sur is not the poorest province in the Bicol Region.

The Listahanan dataset simply lists the number of poor households in a geographic area and is not the basis for poverty incidence ranking among the provinces.

The following table shows the official poverty incidence figures among Region V provinces based on the 2018 data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA):