Looking at the throng of people patiently waiting for their turn to lodge on their complaints, one can feel that people in the communities are receptive to change and the initiatives of the government to reduce poverty .
In the city of Cagayan de Oro, since the first day of posting of the Listahanan initial list of poor households in the barangays, residents started to herd to the City Hall to file their complaints.
Through the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Listahanan , household assessments were conducted last June of this year in which , 72,000 households were assessed leaving some 30,000 households to be assessed during the validation phase.
With the support of the Local Government Unit, massive advocacy efforts have been done to inform the public on the importance of the validation as well as on the process involved in the conduct of the validation.
A designated area was also alloted by the City Government in order for the Area Supervisors to receive complaints orderly .
Barangay officials were also very active in initiating rekorida to inform their barangay constituents on the schedule and venue where they can file their complaints.
Complaints ranged from those poor households who were not included in the list , those who should not be included in the list, correction of spelling, or incorrect data in their Family Assessment Forms.
Those who filed complaints were requested to bring proofs to be attached to their complaint forms which includes birth certificates, Certification from their respective barangay Captains, Marriage certificate, valid IDs, among others, depending on the nature of their complaints. Collateral interviews were also conducted.
Resolution of complaints are done with the support of the Local Verification Committees organized by the local Government Unit.
For Adela Pragamac, a Sendong surivivor, the posting of the initial list of poor households gives them hope that in the near future, they will benefit from various social protection programs of the government .
To be given the chance to file a complaint according to Eleanor Loretero, a resident of Carmen, is also a way for the government to have a clear, definite,and accurate listing of who really needs the most of the programs and services.
“Mao pagkadungog namo sa radyo nga puwede mi magreklamo kabahin sa listahan nga gipaskin sa barangay, nianhi dayon mi diri sa City Hall” (That is why when we heard on radio that we can file complaints on the list posted in our barangay, we immediately proceeded here at the City Hall) , quips Eleanor.
Listahanan is an information management system that the government uses in identifying who and where the poor households are. It serves as the basis for the Department and its partner Agencies as well as Civil Society Organizations ,in identifying potential beneficiaries for their various social protection programs and services.
The Second Round household assessments was conducted nationwide last June of this year with 791, 222 households assessed in Northern Mindanao .
Written by Mitzie S. Santiago, DSWD
