TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is conducting an assessment of at least 20,306 poor families in Eastern Visayas (Region 8) classified as “not found” in the Listahanan 3 database.

The Listahanan or the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) is an administrative tool for targeting poor families for social protection programs.
DSWD regional information officer Jonalyndie Chua said after a holiday break, enumerators continue the second round of special assessment for members of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) that started late last year.

“The assessment aims to ensure that all 4Ps beneficiaries must be included in the Listahanan database, that government funds allocated for the poor will be used accordingly, and that all rightful beneficiaries will receive due assistance from various social protection programs and services,” Chua said in a phone interview Thursday.

As of December 31, 2023, some 5,867 of the target 4Ps families in six provinces of Eastern Visayas have been interviewed by DSWD personnel, according to Chua.

In Listahanan 3 released in 2023, DSWD-8 has identified 365,086 poor households out of the 848,662 total households assessed in Eastern Visayas.

The database will serve as the data users’ latest guide in identifying potential beneficiaries of their social protection programs and services.
(SARWELL MENIANO/PNA)

The Philippine Statistics Authority – Regional Statistical Services Office VIII (PSA RSSO 8) enthusiastically welcomed the new year of 2024 with a vigorous effort in registering the people of Eastern Visayas to PhillSys. After the resounding success of registering about 3.8 Million as of December 2023, PSA will continue registering the uncovered populace and with additional target registrants of 300,000 this year.

“We are calling upon our people especially those 5 years old and above to register and we are trying our best to bring our PhilSys services right at your doorsteps.” PSA RSSO 8 Regional Director Wilma A. Perante shared. PSA will further intensify its strategies reaching out at the grassroot level where people can register and have their ePhilIDs.

Near or far, be it on smooth or rugged ways, the PSA will continue to reinforce its service and commitment in providing an inclusive identification system for Filipinos.

Since its launch in 2021, PhilSys has been steadily progressing despite the challenges brought about by various challenges like the pandemic and natural calamities in the region. The significant accomplishment is the result of the collaborative perseverance of the PSA with its PhilSys field personnel, the local government units, stakeholders and partner agencies who continuously support the programs of PhilSys.

For inquiries and further information, you may visit the PSA’s official website at www.psa.gov.ph or contact our office with telephone number (053) 839-1884 and email address rsso08@psa.gov.ph. (PR)

ORMOC CITY– A fisherman was found dead floating on the seawater in Barangay Mahalit, Merida, Leyte on Wednesday (Jan.10) at about 12:10 pm.

The local police identified the victim as Leonilo Noya, 63, and a resident of Purok 3 of the said barangay.

Case investigator Police Staff Sergeant Emanuel Parac said that based on their interview with the wife of the victim, Lilia, 62, the victim told her that he would go fishing and promised to return immediately.

However, her husband failed to return home on that day, prompting her to ask help from their neighbors to help her find her husband.

A neighbor, Jocel Donaldo, 31, later discovered the dead body of Noya, floating on the water.

The police and the Bantay Dagat together with the Merida Rescue Group immediately retrieved the body of the victim and brought the cadaver to the Merida Health Center where a doctor declared him as dead on arrival. (ROBERT DEJON)

The Inflation Rate (IR) in Eastern Visayas increased to 4.3 percent in December 2023 after two consecutive months of deceleration.

This brings the region’s average IR from January to December 2023 at 4.4 percent. The regional IR was higher than the 3.9 percent national IR in December 2023. In December 2022, the regional IR was higher at 7.8 percent.

The uptrend in the regional IR in December 2023 was primarily brought about by the slower annual decrease in the index of housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels at 2.6 percent in December 2023 from an annual decrease of 4.5 percent in the previous month. Higher IR in the heavily weighted food and non-alcoholic beverages at 8.3 percent during the month from 7.7 percent in November 2023 also contributed to the upward trend. In addition, the index for transport exhibited slower annual decline at 1.3 percent, from 2.2 percent annual decline in November 2023.

Moreover, increased IRs were also recorded in the following commodity groups during the month:

a. Furnishings, household equipment, and routine household maintenance, 6.3 percent from 5.9 percent; and b. Health, 3.2 percent from 3.0 percent
In contrast, the following commodity groups registered lower IRs during the month:

a. Alcoholic beverages and tobacco, 7.8 percent from 7.9 percent; b. Clothing and footwear, 0.9 percent from 1.2 percent; c. Information and communication, 0.3 percent from 0.4 percent; d. Restaurants and accommodation services, 5.3 percent from 5.5 percent; and e. Personal care and miscellaneous goods and services, 3.4 percent from 3.5 percent

The indices for education services and recreation, sport, and culture retained their previous month’s IRs at 1.4 percent and 2.3 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, financial services index remained at zero percent annual growth during the month (Table 3).

The IR for food index increased to 8.7 percent in December 2023, from 8.0 percent in November 2023. The IR for food in December 2022 was higher at 9.2 percent (Table 3).
The increase of the IR for food in December 2023 was primarily influenced by the faster IR for rice at 20.5 percent during the month from 15.0 percent in November 2023. This was followed by fruits and nuts with an IR of 18.1 percent during the month from 12.8 percent IR in November 2023. Higher IRs were also noted in milk, other dairy products, and eggs and corn in December 2023 at 8.7 percent and 2.7 percent, from 7.9 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively, in November 2023.

In addition, meat and other parts of slaughtered land animal’s index recorded slower annual decline at 0.7 percent in December 2023 from an annual decrease of 0.8 percent in the previous month.

Meanwhile, compared with their previous month’s IRs, lower IRs were observed in the following indices:

a. Flour, bread and other bakery products, pasta products, and other cereals, 5.7 percent from 6.0 percent; b. Fish and other seafood, 5.5 percent from 7.9 percent; c. Oils and Fats, 0.9 percent from 1.7 percent; d. Vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooking bananas, and pulses, 0.7 percent from 7.7 percent; e. Sugar, confectionery, and desserts, 0.7 percent from 2.7 percent; and f. Ready-made food and other food products not elsewhere classified, 4.4 percent from 4.8 percent.

Compared with their respective IRs in November 2023, nine (9) regions recorded lower inflation rates in December 2023, seven (7) regions had higher inflation rates, while the remaining one (1) region moved the same as in the previous month. Among the regions, Eastern Visayas’ IR at 4.3 percent ranked seventh among the regions with high IRs during the month in review. BARMM recorded the highest IR at 6.2 percent, while Cagayan Valley registered the lowest IR at 1.6 percent (Figure 2 and Table 4).

Relative to their IRs in November 2023, four (4) provinces recorded higher IRs in December 2023, Eastern Samar registered lower IR, while Southern Leyte retained its previous month’s IR. Among the provinces, Samar posted the highest IR at 6.6 percent in December 2023. Eastern Samar’s IR came next at 5.2 percent, followed by Leyte at 4.1 percent; Biliran at 4.0 percent; and Northern Samar at 3.3 percent. The lowest IR was noted in Southern Leyte at 2.4 percent (Figure 3 and Table 5).

Meanwhile, IR for Tacloban City, the lone Highly Urbanized City (HUC) in the region, was recorded at 3.6 percent in December 2023, higher than its 2.5 percent IR last month. (PR)