Even before Cebu City officials reminded residents not to give alms to vagrants and beggars especially now during the holiday season, not a few people were averse to this practice and it’s not hard to see why even among the most patient and charitable of the lot.
One need only ride the passenger jeepneys daily where a slew of these characters suddenly come on board to sing a song or two and then expect the passengers to give them some coin or money bills for their effort at “unsolicited entertainment.”
All of us who’ve lived in Metro Cebu and ride the jeepneys for work and school know their drill. These kids, teenagers and adults would preface their “song number” with the reminder “wa mi dautahang tuyo manganta lang mi (we have no ill motives, we’re only here to sing)” before launching into their performance, off-key and foul-smelling though they may be.
And based on my own jeepney rides, I noticed that these beggars often sing that Visayan song “Hahaha hasula” or a variation of it to passengers. A quick search on YouTube showed that it was sung by a certain Kurt Fick, who may want to charge some royalty fees to these beggars for the number of times they sang his song without permission.
And though Kurt Fick may cringe at the number of the times these beggars sing his song off-key, one cannot say that they do so due to lack of effort.
Though there are some who end up singing bored and get impatient at the passengers like me who either look away or listen to radio and Spotify music from their cell phones, unmindful of their performance for a few coins or change.
Eventually, some would relent and give some coins or there are those like the jeepney dispatcher who would shoo them away, irritated at their presence. Even some of them would bother lecturing these beggars about getting a real job, even if it’s just cleaning the canal or lifting sacks at the Cebu City pier rather than remain content with begging for money.
The beggars would then get out after getting some coins, mumbling a quick “daghan salamat (thank you very much)” before getting off the jeepney, or in one of those rare instances, they would get furious and slap the passengers then get out, venting their frustration at anyone who refused to give them money for their next meal.
Whether one sympathizes with them or not, the fact is there’s a rationale behind the ordinance prohibiting the giving of alms to vagrants, beggars and the like. For starters, it can prevent beggars from swarming all over the giver who isn’t rich, like US President-elect Donald Trump, a billionaire that can afford to give US$1,000 to each of the 300 people in a TV audience and still not feel a thing in his wallet.
For every street kid one gives money to, there’s a couple more approaching him or her asking, “Ate, kuya pakaon beh (brother, sister, feed me please).”
One feels a mixed bag of emotions — pity, frustration, guilt, annoyance, anger especially if they turn on you — whenever they approach, but it’s either you give them money or something or you don’t.
And while this may sound un-Christian or uncharitable in a season that’s supposed to be about giving and sharing, one may have asked how far his or her responsibility, generosity and charity goes when it comes to dealing with beggars and vagrants.
For me it’s about giving what you can since I’ve yet to hear of anyone being penalized for giving alms, but that’s it. No one expects you to be a saint who would give everything to the poor and join a missionary or wander in the forest and preach like St. Francis of Assisi.
Though charity begins at home, one can give back what he or she can to the poor so long as those people don’t ask for an arm or leg or everything that he or she owns. When they do that, they’re not beggars anymore, they’re freeloaders.
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