MORE BEGGARS

‘Season of giving’ draws more mendicants to Cebu City

Why are there more beggars and street dwellers roaming Cebu City, especially in the downtown area?

It’s part of the Christmas season, which extends to January for the Sinulog festival, and a new expected source of alms – delegates and visitors of the International Eucharistic Congress.

The increasing presence of people sleeping and begging on the city’s streets was one of the key concerns raised in yesterday’s coordination meeting for the IEC in City Hall with representatives of the Archdiocese of Cebu, police, traffic enforcers and Cebu city government.

“It’s the season of giving,” said Euguene Elizalde, head of the Police Coordinating and Advisory Council, explaining the rising number.

“But there are more now. They are not just individuals, but entire families sprouting everywhere. They’re not from the city,” he said.

He tossed the idea of setting up the Sinulog Devotee City – a temporary housing cluster made of empty container vans for low-income pilgrims visiting Cebu City – one week earlier than usual.

No hard figures were available, but barangay, police and social welfare representatives agreed that the population of street dwellers in Cebu City has dramatically increased in recent weeks during the holiday season.

Ester Concha, chief of the Department of Social Welfare Services, said her staff has already started “reaching out” to them in a program where they “process” mendicants in a halfway house in barangay Lorega.

Those who migrated to Cebu City are given bus fare to return to their hometowns under the city’s Balik Probinsya Program. They are asked to sign a document statement that they won’t return to loiter in the streets.

DON’T ROUND UP

Fr. Wendell Balbuena, chairman of the 51st IEC transportation committee, clarified that the archdiocese is not asking the city to round up or remove the mendicants.

“Nigawas lang ang observation kaganina nga naay daghan nangatog sa kadalanan. So unsay buhaton man? So mao to nicome in nga ang DSWS naa sila giprepare nga murag temporary housing until maidentify kinsa ni sila kay i-encourage nga paulion sa ilaha,” he told reporters after the meeting, which was chaired by Dominic Diño, chief of staff of the Mayor’s Office.

(It just came out as an observation earlier that there are a lot of people sleeping on the streets. So what should be done? That’s why the DSWS came in that they are preparing a temporary shelter until street dwellers are identified and they will be encouraged to go home.)

He said Elizalde had observed many street dwellers especially especially near the Redemptorist Church.

Fr. Balbuena pointed out that the Roman Catholic Church was celebrating the Year of Mercy and that it would not be proper to act harshly towards mendicants.

He expressed concern that a previous plan of rounding up street children and beggars to keep them out of view in Manila became an issue and cause for criticism during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings earlier this year.

Instead, he suggested that Fr. Carmelo Diola, who is in charge of the First Communion of street children during the IEC, would coordinate with the city’s DSWS since the diocesan priest has been pursuing an outreach program for street kids.

“There should be something that will be done with them. Fr. Diola has already started this. So he should be talking with DSWS so that the Church and the government will be agreeing on what to do with these people,” Balbuena said in Cebuano.

In a separate interview, Concha said most of the street dwellers roam around the city and sell small items like candy in the morning and just sleep on the streets at night.

“Nagkadaghan sila (They are increasing in number). There are new faces. There’s also a concern with safety with beggars around. It’s not just the city that should address this, it should include the PNP and the barangays,” she said.

Areas of concern were identified as barangays Kamputhaw, Banilad, Barrio Luz, Capitol Site and Kasambagan.

Aside from street dwellers, the coordination meeting tackled concerns on security, garbage collection, sidewalks that are dilapidated or have obstructions, and the readiness of different agencies to support the IEC in Cebu City, which will draw 15,000 delegates both local and foreign, for a week from Jan. 24 to 31.

PCAC head Elizalde, for his part, said their main concern for peace and order is the augmentation of police for for the event.

A coordination meeting is set today with Chief Supt. Manuel Gaerlan, acting police regional director.

“I was able to talk with (Chief Supt) Gaerlan and they’re considering tapping the the Armed Force of the Philippines just like in APEC,” he told reporters.

A final decision on this still has to be made.

Initially, Gaerlan said 3,700 additional policemen would be deployed for the IEC which is on January 24 to 31.

The congress involves open-air Masses at Plaza Independencia and the South Road Properties, and a religious foot procession down Osmena Boulevard, which is expected to draw up to one million participants.