A new building that will cater to the needs of street children in Metro Cebu will soon rise inside the compound of St. Joseph Parish Church in Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City.
Officials of the Archdiocese of Cebu headed by Archbishop Jose Palma gathered yesterday for groundbreaking of the new building called “Abtanan sa Kalooy.”
According to Palma, the new building worth P60 million will conduct educational and feeding programs for the street children.
Palma said the four-storey activity center for street children is one of the products of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress that was held in the city in 2016. An amount of 1.4 million euro or around P70 million has been allotted for the project, which will be funded by the Italian Bishop’s Conference.
Palma said the construction of the building is expected to be finished in three months.
One of the street kids who was present during the ceremony said they are happy that they will soon have a place where they can gather.
“Nagpasalamat mi sa support. Bisan bata pa mi, bisan unsa pa mi ka kiat, nialaga sila namo, mobawos ra sad nya mi nila, motabang nila. Kon masakit ang mag-alaga namo, amo silang tabangan, ilabi na kon makatrabaho na ko (We are thankful for their support. Even though we are still young, very playful, they still take care of us. We will repay them, help them. If our caretakers get sick, I will help them, especially when I already have a job),” said nine-year-old Juan Carlo Flores.
Flores, along with ten other children who were accompanied by their foster parents, witnessed the ceremony. Flores has been a beneficiary of S-KIDS for the past several years now. S-KIDS is an organization founded by the local government of Barangay Subangdaku in Mandaue City to provide food and even education to the street children.
Cebu City Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella, Mabolo Barangay Captain Reynaldo Ompoc, Fr. Carmelo Diola, Senior Supt. Virgil Ranes of Police Regional Office 7 and Dilaab Foundation president Mayen Tan also joined the event.
“The main purpose of the soon-to-be operative Abtanan sa Kalooy is to help the street children, for them not to be a problem but to be an asset in the future,” Palma told reporters.
The archdiocese submitted their ideas, including a list of more than 30 persons who will handle the different committees for the development program, which would be headed by Fr. Carmelo Diola of Dilaab Foundation.
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