THE street dweller families rounded up by the Cebu City government and housed at the old abattoir building can go out in the the streets during daytime and ply their living, selling food and bottled water.
But they are required to go back to the facility at night.
Street dwellers are usually rounded up during Sinulog. With the summit meetings of the delegates of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), the Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS) of the Cebu City government again rounded up the street dwellers and placed them in the old abattoir building.
There are about 200 individuals staying in the abattoir, some of them having been there since January.
Jocelyn Algaba, 25, said that her family has been living in the abattoir for almost three months already.
She said 13 families were “rescued” a week before the Sinulog Festival last January.
“Wala na mi mohawa kay wala na man sad mi kapuy-an. Okay ra man sad sa mga social workers nga nagbantay namo. Maninda mi buntag uli mi diri igka-gabii aron naay tarong kasilungan,” Algaba said.
(We opted to stay since we have no place to go. The social workers are okay with it. We go out during the day to sell our goods then come back at nighttime to sleep.)
Algaba said she sells bottled water along M.J. Cuenco Ave.
She said the Anti-Mendicancy Division of the city rounded them up the week before the Sinulog festival.
Initially, there were 13 families living there, she said.
“Trese na lang mi nag-puyo diari. Nadungagan lang pagka-Dominggo ug Lunes. Karon ra man ni nausban ilahang rescue,” Algaba said.
(There were 13 families staying here. Additional families were brought here last Sunday and Monday. This is the only time they did their rescue operations again.)
Earlier, DSWS head Lea Japson said that about 180 dwellers of the streets near a hotel at the North Reclamation Area where some of the Asean leaders’ meetings are held were rounded up on April 2 and 3.
Street dwellers in Barangays Tinago, Carreta, Sto. Niño, San Roque and Pari-an were also rounded up.A 59-year-old street dweller, Delia Sinangoti, who was rounded up last Sunday said she sells candies near the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral.
“Mas okay na man mi nga ingon niani. Tugtan mi mogawas sa buntag para maka kwarta pud mi alang sa among kaon,” Sinangoti said.
(We are okay with this situation. We are allowed to go out and sell in the morning so we can make money to buy food.)