Militants urge gov’t to study presence of ‘Tambays’

Militant groups in Cebu urged the government to study and understand why ‘tambays’ or loiterers exist.

At half past 9 a.m., close to 20 members of the militant groups led by Panaghugpong Kadamay assembled in front of the Police Regional Office-7 in Osmeña Boulevard on Friday, June 29.

The protest was participated by Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Nationwide (Piston), Gabriela, Anakbayan, National Union of Student in the Philippines (NUSP), Kabataan Partylist, Migrante, Karapatan and Alsa Kontraktwal among others.

The picket rally condemned Oplan Tambay, or the police crackdown of tambays in the streets which came in compliance with the directives of President Rodrigo Duterte and Philippine National Police chief Director General Oscar Albayalde.

They carried placards which bore explanations on why tambays exist.

Some of these are: “Tambay ko kay nahuman na ang kontrata ko”; “Tambay kay na-phase out ang jeepney ko”; and “Tambay ko kay wala’y trabaho diri sa Pilipinas.”

Belinda Allere, Secretary General of Panaghugpong Kadamay in Cebu, said that the government has failed to realize that street litterers exist because of the lack of opportunities provided by the government.

“We stay in the streets because we are waiting for people who can lend us money to buy rice. We stay in the street because the members of our family cannot sit comfortably inside our small homes,” Allere said in Cebuano.

Allere also lamented that President Duterte has still not delivered his campaign promise to end contractualization in his two years in office.

Tomorrow, June 30, is Mr. Duterte’s second inaugural year as president of the Philippines and for Allere, Duterte cannot gain a better grade than 1 out of 10.