60,000 are poor in first district

CEBU, Philippines - The DSWD’s National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction has said that in the first district about 57,967 individuals aged 15 years old and above are poor.

Fifty-five percent or 31,621 of these individuals are without any occupation.

DSWD-7 information officer Kerwin Macopia said most of these poor individuals with no work are found in Carcar City with 16,479.

Sibonga has 11,212, Naga with 9,619, San Fernando with 7,944, Talisay with 7,027, and Minglanilla with 5,686.

Macopia said the data shows that poverty resulting from unemployment is still a major issue confronting the country.

Furthermore, 13 percent of these poor individuals both in urban and rural areas are engaged in agricultural jobs such as fishing and farming, 22 percent enlisted are into skilled and labor works.

A large scale of up to 55 percent does not have any source of income.

In dealing with the issue on unemployment, the DSWD’s Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) is introduced as a community-based program.

Beneficiaries of SLP are chosen based on the list by NHTS-PR, an information and management system that identifies who and where the poor are in the country.

As a component of the Convergence Strategy, the program also aims to serve the beneficiaries of the Pantawtid Pamilya to sustain and expand beyond their five-year intervention period.

DSWD-7 regional director Mercedita P. Jabagat has urged the newly elected legislators and local chief executives to use the available data to formulate appropriate social protection programs and services specifically to address the unemployment problem in their areas.

There are currently 127 towns and cities in the region which have already entered into a MOA with the DSWD-7 for data sharing and utilization.

Other than the government agencies, NGOs such as the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI), Outreach Program on Trainings, Integral Organizing and Networking for Solidarity Inc. (OPTIONS), and Alay Lakad Foundation have also signed a pact with the office for its use. (FREEMAN)