KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 12 through the National Household Targeting Unit (NHTU) oriented LGU officials in the region on the forthcoming special validation.

The orientation focused mainly on the validation of Social Pension Program (SOCPEN) and the Modified Conditional Cash Transfer Program for Families in need of Special Protection (MCCT-FNSP) beneficiaries due this semester.
NHTU Regional Field Coordinator, Ashraf Dirampatan presented and discussed the phases of the Listahanan special validation.

For SOCPEN, the assessment will legitimize the continuation of the payment of monthly stipends to social pensioners. Meanwhile, the inclusion of MCCT-FNSP beneficiary-families in the Listahanan database as a result of this validation will guarantee their advancement to the regular Pantawid Pamilya Program or 4P’s.

Dirampatan said that the special validation is aimed at upholding Listahanan’s objective of ensuring that all potentially poor households are assessed and included in the database.

“Listahanan database will serve as the basis for selecting recipients of the social protection programs of the national government so it is important that we don’t miss a potentially poor household” Dirampatan explained.

Meanwhile, DSWD 12 Assistant Regional Director, Gemma N. Rivera, urged the coordination of the LGU’s during the conduct of assessment.

“DSWD and LGU’s must be partners and must work hand in hand in coming up with an accurate database as Listahanan is the legal database that we can use to identify our beneficiaries for social protection programs and services” Rivera said.

Moreover, Labinia Banes, Regional Focal Person of SOCPEN and Nabila Lao, Regional Focal Person of MCCT-FNSP were also present during the orientation to address matters concerning their programs in relation to the forthcoming activity.

Also present during the orientation were Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officers and Social Pension Focal Persons.### (SMU)