Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Esperanza I. Cabral urged the public not to give alms to street children who are actually begging in the guise of caroling on the streets during the yuletide season.
“Caroling on the streets is risky, especially for children who squeeze themselves between vehicles and tap on car windows, or those who jump from moving public utility vehicles, unmindful of the danger to their life and limb,” Cabral said.
She said that the streets are not the proper places for caroling, saying that caroling on the streets is tantamount to begging which is against the law.
The Anti-Mendicancy Law or Presidential Decree No. 1563 specifies that begging is against the law. It covers exploited children who are forced by their parents or by syndicates to beg.
Cabral said that parents who forced their children to beg are criminally liable under Article 59 of Presidential Decree 603 or the Child and Youth Welfare Code. It states that parents who exploit a child by using him or her, directly or indirectly, for purposes of begging and other acts which are inimical to his interest and welfare shall be punishable with imprisonment from two to six months or a fine not exceeding five hundred pesos, or both, at the discretion of the Court.
“If we want to help the mendicants and street children, we must channel this through the proper government agencies, such as the DSWD, and non-government organizations,” Cabral emphasized.
She also added that the DSWD in partnership with the local government units in Metro Manila recently launched the “Pamasko sa Bawat Pamilya ng Batang Lansangan at Pamilyang Naninirahan sa Lansangan,” a project which provides family gift packs, hot meals, toys and other social interventions and services to poor street families.
She said that some 3,000 families will benefit from this project which runs from Dec. 10, 2009 until Jan. 12, 2010.
Aside from the family gift packs, children and their families shall also be assessed by the Local City Social Welfare and Development Office at the “Paskuhan” Centers to determine their needs and provide appropriate interventions such as spiritual enhancement, value formation, parent effectiveness seminars, education and livelihood assistance.
These facilities are set up in areas where there is great concentration of poor street children. These are in Kamuning and Tandang Sora in Quezon City, C.M. Recto and Rizal Avenue in Manila, and F.B. Harrison in Pasay City.
Meanwhile, Cabral clarified that the local government units (LGUs) and the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) are primarily responsible for the rescue of street children. She explained that the rescued street children are taken to the LGUs’ Reception and Action Centers for assessment and provision of appropriate social services.
“The DSWD intercedes if the LGUs cannot accommodate the street children. In this case, we provide temporary shelter to the street children in our centers,” she further said.
As of Nov. 30, 2009, some 3,031 street children and street dwellers were reportedly rescued by LGUs.
Task Force “Sagip Kalinga” composed of the DSWD, Department of Health (DOH), Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), Department of National Defense (DND), Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Information Agency (PIA), Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and the LGUs in Metro Manila intensifies its rescue operation during the yuletide season to prevent the increasing number of street children and street dwellers in the region. (PNA)
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