THE City Government of Davao is targeting to implement the unified identification (ID) and automated teller machine (ATM) cards for Dabawenyos in times of disaster and calamity as soon as it finishes its household-level surveys through the Intelligent Community-Based Monitoring System (ICBMS).
ICBMS is a data collection application for household-level surveys initially focusing on the 34 high-risk barangays identified in the Comprehensive Land Use Plan-City Disaster Risk and Reduction Action (CLUP-CDRRA) Plan.
Davao City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) Officer-in-Charge Ivan Cortez said the ICBMS aims to provide policymakers and program implementers with a regular source of necessary disaggregated data for diagnosing the extent of poverty at the local level; determining the nature and extent of poverty; formulating appropriate policies and programs; identifying eligible beneficiaries for targeted programs; and assessing impact of policies and programs.
He said the program also aims to serve a timely input to the local development planning through geo-tagging of households especially in depressed areas to incorporate disaster risk reduction and management interventions. Generally, the program was developed to address the lack of information on the ground.
"Ang atong survey (our survey) is the very basic information nga kinahanglan nato aron makaprograma ta para sa (we needed in order to lay down programs for) social welfare, health, education, even sa (in) infrastructure, and sa (the) economy," Cortez said in an interview via 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.
The CPDO official said they are still in the initial phase of the local survey, but once it will be completed in the entire city, the inputs gathered will be used in the city's unified ID system called the Dabawenyo Card.
The Dabawenyo Card is a soon-to-be-implemented unified social service card aimed at promoting efficiency, transparency and seamless delivery of public service.
City Information Technology Center System Analyst Sharon Lei Lomantas said in a previous interview that it will be useful in times of disaster and calamity, especially when there is a state of public health emergency like Covid-19.
Lomantas said the card aims to support the government in providing and extending social services to all Dabawenyos, as well as emergency cash assistance, in a more efficient, transparent and convenient way.
"The results of the survey will also be intended for the Dabawenyo Card. Kung naa na ta’y complete information sa mga residente (If we will be able to gather complete information from our residents here), we can proceed with the Dabawenyo Card," Cortez said.
The ICBMS officially started in September 2020 and is targeted to end in March 2021 with the help of 175 enumerators hired to do the survey in their assigned barangay.
The CPDO currently prioritized the household survey in the identified 34 high-risk barangays of the city for ICBMS.
These brangays include 1-A, 2-A, 5-A, 8-A, 19-B, 21-C, 22-C, 23-C, 27-C, 31-D, Centro, Leon Garcia Sr., Sasa, Tigatto, Waan, Bunawan, Ilang, Lasang, Panacan, Tibungco, Bago Aplaya, Bucana, Catalunan Pequeño, Ma-a Matina Aplaya, Matina Crossing, Matina Pangi, Talomo, Calinan, Los amigos, Mintal, Tugbok, Binugao, and Sirawan.
Cortez said the identified 34 barangays are areas that experience the occurrence of natural hazards such as earthquakes, landslides, liquefaction and flooding, among others.
Aside from social welfare and disaster-related purposes, ICBMS survey output can help provide a projection of the city's planning process on the facilities needed to be installed within the barangay or community.
In order to fast-track results, Cortez said the City partnered with Agilax Tech ICBMS to further customize and develop their open-source application, mainly used for the collection, organization and validation of data gathered by the enumerators during surveys. As a result, an application was developed as the main tool in gathering essential information on the field.
"Makita nimo, ma-profile nimo ang kada purok, per barangay and the entire city kung unsa iya characteristics (The survey will allow us to profile per purok, barangay, and the entire city on its characteristics) in terms of spending, how they can contribute to the economy, and how the government can intervene in terms of linkage to jobs, financing, something like that. Dako siya'g tabang if makuha na nato tanang information (It will be beneficial if we will be able to get those needed information)," he said.