Employee who drove away street kids using broom transferred

A screen shot of the viral video showing an employee of Lapu-Lapu City driving away street kids who were sleeping under the signage of the Mactan Economic Zone.

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu — The Lapu-Lapu employee who drove away street kids sleeping on the welcome signage of the Mactan Economic Zone 1 was transferred to a different department.

The video of the incident went viral online and gained mixed reactions from netizens. In the video, the employee was seen approaching the kids with a broom hitting the carton they were sleeping on to rouse them from sleep.

Lapu-Lapu City Administrator Atty. Danilo Almendras on Friday, Jan. 26, said that the employee was transferred on Thursday after he got the memorandum.

Almendras said that he was transferred to the City Traffic Management System from the Nerve Center of the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office. 

The city administrator said that the employee was called and asked about his side and how he treated the street kids before he was transferred.

Almendras said that according to the employee, he drove his wife to Mepza. He was not on duty at that time because his schedule was from 8 a.m to 5 p.m. but just decided to wear his uniform.

He said that according to his employees, the street kids have been sleeping around that area, asking people for money and throwing their trash everywhere. The City Social Welfare and Development Office also conducted a rescue operation but said they keep coming back.

Despite this, Almendras said that the employee could have just ask them to leave properly.

Mayor Junard Ahong Chan was also not happy with how the street kids were approached. Chan said that he could just ask them politely, rescue them, and bring them to the barangay. 

READ: Proliferation of rugby-sniffing kids still a concern in Cebu City this pandemic

In this way, the barangay can call their parents and guardians, talk to them to guide their children. Or if they were abandoned, a case of abandonment will be filed against their parents.

“Dapat gyud ana, ang sakto gyud unta kay naa siya sa gobyerno, tarungon og pik-pik, sulti lang nga dili na pwede katulgan dira labi na nga mao nay sagad against sa mga turista,” said Chan.

Chan said that the police had been directed to rescue minors and street kids who were outside of their houses during curfew hours. This was also his instruction to the barangay captains when they had their first meeting.

READ: Street kids and their daily quest for love, harmony, protection, survival