DSWD issues guidelines on sharing of Listahanan data to partners, stakeholders

As the “Listahanan 3” or the third round of assessment of poor households in the country is expected to be completed in the last quarter of 2021, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has already issued guidelines on the sharing of data generated from the Listahanan database to its partners and concerned stakeholders.

Listahanan or the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) is an information management system that aims to establish a database of poor households that will serve as a basis in the identification of beneficiaries for different social protection programs and services.

The DSWD disclosed Thursday, Nov. 4, that it released Memorandum Circular No. 15, series of 2021 which provides that the data which will be culled from the Listahanan 3 “can be shared to various stakeholders to serve as their basis in targeting eligible beneficiaries for different anti-poverty programs and social protection services.”

The Social Welfare department said its partners and various stakeholders may use the Listahanan database for the development, planning, and implementing of research and other development projects for the poor, vulnerable, and marginalized sector.

The completion of the Listahanan 3 is expected in the last quarter of this year.

“Once the data is completed, interested and potential users from national government agencies, local government units, non-government organizations, members of the academe, and private foundations, among others, may request for the Listahanan 3 data starting 1st quarter of 2022,” the DSWD said in a statement on Thursday.

It assured the public that the guidelines likewise provide a mechanism to safeguard and protect the sensitive and personal information of data subjects consistent with the Data Privacy Act and related circulars of the National Privacy Commission (NPC).

If the disclosure of Listahanan data will violate existing laws or any of the Department’s policies or guidelines, the DSWD may decline a request for data sharing.

The DSWD explained that Listahanan data end-users are required to submit a feedback report on how the data was utilized in the development or conduct of specific programs and services for the poor.

The feedback report will be submitted to the National Household Targeting Office or National Household Targeting Service (NHTS) of the concerned DSWD Field Offices.

The department as one of the gatekeepers of personal information vowed to “adhere to data protection laws and principles to safeguard the information of its data subjects from unauthorized disclosure, access, or unlawful processing.”