Jey, Jason and Titing used to wander Cebu City streets until they found a light when a foundation helped them. Now they are helping other street children to renew their lives and get back to school. (CDN PHOTO/ MARIAN Z. CODILLA)
They used to wake up at the first light of dawn, setting aside a piece of carton they used as their bed the night before and scavenge for food in Cebu City’s streets.
Now Jey and his brothers Titing and Jason are helping street children get a shot at a better life through the Cure Foundation.
“We are happy here. We now have shoes, food and shelter. We just go home during Sundays,” Jey said.
Before being invited by the foundation, Jey, Titing and Jason spend their days latching on to passenger jeepneys and belting songs to passengers in hopes of receiving money in return.
They also scavenge for food scraps inside garbage bins outside fastfood restaurants and anything remotely useful to sell to junkshops.
Donations
Their families all live in the port area and the three would have to beg, steal and scavenge to survive.
“Kung gutomon mi manilok mi og pagkaon sa fried chicken eatery or mangayo mi og pagkaon nila. Usahay tagaan usahay kay papahawa-on mi, mangawat nalang mi (We scavenged for fried chicken at the eateries or ask food from them. Sometimes people give, sometimes they shoo us away. So we steal),” Jason added.
Titing roamed the streets carrying a bag on his side that he used to hold his feces.
He had an obstructred colon and passersby who didn’t know that mocked him for his condition.
When he was two years old, Titing’s mother asked for donations for his colostomy.
Rescued
But his mother died when he was nine years old and they were unable to raise enough money for his operation.
Now, he only has a scar on his stomach to show for his past life. He makes sure he gets good grades in school as his way of thanking the Cure Foundation for funding his operation.
Titing hopes to become an engineer someday.
At a small, green room at the Maranatha Christian Fellowship which operates the Cure Foundation, Titing, Jey and Jason recalled their wayward childhood to Cebu Daily News.
Jey, the most outspoken of the three, said he and his brothers were among the 15 rescued from the streets by the Cure Foundation two years ago.
Bad things
They were fed regularly, taught how to read and write and attended Bible study lessons. Of the 15, only four of them stayed. Titing said they don’t want to go to their homes because they enjoy each other’s company.
They’ve also earned some gold medals along the way.
If they’ve chosen to ignore the foundation’s invitation, Jey said they would still be stealing cash from outlets and scavenge at garbage bins for items to sell to junkshops.
“We got away with it because our family would come and fetch us at the police station. We didn’t know that what we did in the streets were wrong. Those were bad things. We spoke a lot of bad words,” Jey said.
Under the foundation’s care, Jey said they have a better life.
Better life
“We are happy here. We now have shoes, food and shelter. We just go home during Sundays,” he said. Jey said he and his brothers are helping other street children get a better life.
“We talk to them because we know them. We could not find some of our friends before. But we tell them to trust in God and pray for guidance,” Jason said. Mary Forolo Pagaduan, OIC of Cure Foundation, said their group is committed to helping street children.
She said they’ve been feeding street children every Saturday and sending scholars to different schools for 18 years already.
The Cure Foundation can be reached through Ruth Cabahug at (032) 2535939.