The country’s incessant struggle against the “ravaging virus” of poverty has been akin to the cyclical segment of some local “telenovelas.” Indeed, the Filipino masses have become the living testaments of the government’s lifelong plight on poverty alleviation.
Hypothetically, the Philippines is still trapped into the nasty web of destitution. Sad to note, based on the report issued by the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB), the poverty incidence in the country – i.e., the proportion of people below the poverty line is still relatively high. Data show that the poverty incidence was estimated 27.9% at the start of the first semester during the year 2012. This chronic malady is definitely a serious threat for the country’s journey towards economic progress. Nonetheless, such disheartening reality shouldn’t be viewed as the “endpoint” of our significant battle against this crippling disease; instead, this should be considered as a huge challenge for everyone in discovering the best antidote to terminate the viral effect of poverty in this country.
Battling the “vicious cycle” of poverty in our country is undoubtedly the paramount priority of the Aquino administration. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), one of the lead agencies responsible for poverty reduction, has continuously advocated strategic programs to address the poverty incidence of our country. Some of these programs are the Philippine Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT), more popularly known as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), the Sustainable Livelihood Program and the Kapit-bisig Laban sa Kahirapan. These aforementioned programs have been tailored to converge with other programs of the government like employment, shelter, livelihood, health, education and agriculture.
The maiden step, however, in the effective delivery of these social services is to identify who and where the poorest households are in the country. Through the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR)-i.e., an information management that identifies who and where the poor households are, the qualified beneficiaries shall be given the social protection services that they need. This system aims to establish a socio-economic database of households that will be used in identifying the qualified beneficiaries of the national social protection program.
Virtually, the DSWD unceasingly desires to Distribute Social services With Dignity. That’s why the NHTS-PR was created by the DSWD to respond proactively to the challenges of social service delivery. IF these social services are implemented effectively to the poorest of the poor in the country, then, programs on sustainable development through livelihood, agriculture and employment could be easily achieved.
From all considerations, the NHTS-PR is indeed a practical means in identifying the target clienteles in the implementation of the various programs of the government vis-à-vis poverty alleviation. This is precisely a “BOON” advocacy of the DSWD in its thrust to rescue the drowning public from the quagmire of poverty.
Henceforth, every Filipino should take a part in the upholding and strengthening the DSWD’s campaign on poverty reduction. Afterall, everyone is a key role player in debugging the poverty virus of our country, Let’s all make a happy ending for this cyclical telenovela; take part, be a part of the campaign, and all together, let’s chart the course of our country towards national economic progress, via the NHTS-PR. ### By Dennis John M. Espinoza, Ph. D./Department of Education (DepEd) Region 2, (This piece won 2nd place during the NHTS Essay Writing Contest for National Government Agencies on June 14,2013 at Crown Lodge, Tuguegarao City)