5 LGU finalists in ‘Gawad Listahan’ from Luzon

By Ellalyn De Vera

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has shortlisted five local government units (LGUs) in Luzon out of the nine LGUs in search for the 2nd Gawad Listahanan, an award conferred to LGUs for providing services to the poor, disadvantaged, and vulnerable.

The finalists for the 2nd Gawad Listahanan are Jaen, Nueva Ecija; Sto. Domingo, Albay; and Cabatuan, Iloilo for the municipal category; Baguio City, Bislig City, and Cebu City for the city category; and Iloilo, Pampanga and Palawan for the provincial category.

The DSWD said these LGUs created programs that range from the provision of financial assistance and scholarships to skills enhancement and job facilitation.

In 2015, the 1st Gawad Listahanan was awarded to Dalaguete, Cebu for its Local Government Institutional Support Services for Transformation Advancement (LISSTA), a scholarship program; Escalante City for its Indigency Program, which provides medical and burial assistance; and Ilocos Norte for its Millennium Development Goals (MDG) program, which includes scholarships, livelihood, and medical assistance.

Winners in this year’s awards will be selected based on the number of beneficiaries of their locally-funded programs who are registered in the Listahanan database of poor families.

Aside from evaluating the program’s coverage of the Listahanan-identified poor, the awarding body will also evaluate the                LGU’s compliance to the data sharing agreement, which requires them to submit regular feedback on how they utilize the data and conduct activities to popularize the Listahanan.

              The awarding and announcement of winners will be made during the Annual Pagkilala sa Natatanging Kontribusyon sa Bayan Ko (PaNataKosa Bayan) Awards on January 28.