CBMS was initially developed in the early 1990s under the Micro Impacts of Macroeconomic Adjustment Policies (MIMAP) Project of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC-Canada).

CBMS was one of the tools developed to provide policymakers with a good information base for tracking the impacts of various economic reforms and policy shocks on the vulnerable groups in the society

Rationale for CBMS Work

• Lack of necessary disaggregated data for:
  • Diagnosing extent of poverty at the local level
  • Determining the causes of poverty
  • Formulating appropriate policies and program
  • Identifying eligible beneficiaries
  • Assessing impact of policies and programs
• Need for support mechanisms for the implementation of the decentralization policy

Key Features of CBMS

• Involves a census of all households in a community
• LGU-based while promoting community participation
• Taps existing LGU-personnel/community members as monitors
• Has a core set of indicators but system is flexible enough to accommodate additional indicators
• Establishes database at each geopolitical level