Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama | CDN DIGITAL FILE PHOTO
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama does not want to see vagrants and mendicants sleeping on the sidewalks.
On Monday, Rama directed the Cebu City Anti-Mendicancy Board (CCAMB) and heads of concerned City Hall offices to implement the immediate clearing of sidewalks here.
“My standard is for 24 hours, way mga tawo nga matulog sa dalan,” Rama said.
A statement released by the Public Information Office (PIO) at City Hall mentioned that Rama made a walkthrough early on Saturday morning, July 30, to assess the current state of the city’s sidewalks.
He also visited the Carbon Public Market to check the status of clearing operations at the Freedom Park and the interim market that is now occupied by the vendors.
After his walkthrough, Rama gave a verbal instruction for the immediate clearing of the sidewalks.
“We did it before. It’s not difficult to do it again,” he said.
On Monday, the mayor called for a meeting with CCAMB to further discuss the matter.
Also present during the meeting were representatives of the Cebu City Anti-Mendicancy Office (CCAMO); Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS), Prevention, Restoration, Enhancement, Beautification Team (PROBE), Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO), City Health Department (CHD), and Association of Barangay Councils (ABC), and former city administrator Lucelle Mercado and her husband Rene Mercado.
During the said meeting, Rama reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to make Cebu City become like Singapore, thus the need to address the issue on vagrants and mendicants.
And while Rama is yet to confirm the appointment of CCAMB members, the group has already begun preliminary discussions on how to go about the mayor’s directive.
The group has initially decided to establish a holding area to temporarily accommodate vagrants and mendicants who will be rounded up during the series of rescue operations that they plan to conduct.
Bu Varquez, South Road Properties (SRP) manager, said they can use an existing facility at the SRP as holding area.
City Ordinance No. 1631 prohibits mendicancy in Cebu City. The same ordinance also prohibits the giving to and soliciting of alms or any material goods in public places, buildings, and establishments here.
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