Kids sheltered at Parian still involved in crimes?

CEBU, Philippines - An official of the Cebu City Anti-Mendicancy Task Force yesterday announced that some of the street children who are under the care of the city at the Parian Drop-in Center are still sometimes involved in snatchings and other crimes.

Task Force executive officer Isabelita “Beth” Ganub said the kids themselves were the ones gave her the information about the illegal activities of some of their fellow street children.

“Ang ubang bata mitug-an nako nga ‘Ate si kuan baya nang-snatch,’” Ganub said, quoting the children as saying.

The information was confimed by Alita Bolo, one of the volunteer workers at the Parian Drop-in Center , saying some of the kids could easily sneak out of the center if they want because the center is not a jail.

Although the center has a security guard, the children could allegedly easily get out without being detected if they want to.

Ganub said there were instances that after they have rescued children from the streets and turned them over to the Parian Drop-in Center, they would saw them again the following day loitering on the roads.

When asked by The FREEMAN how he would solve it, Mayor Michael Rama said he will first ask Ganub to submit to him a report.  “Mangayo usa ko og report kabahin ani nga isyu usa ko mohatag og kumentaryo,” the mayor said.

Ganub said the task force, which is composed of representatives from the different offices of City Hall, had made more than 1,200 rescue operations on street vagrants. One of these persons has been “rescued” for several times already for begging in public places.

But even if the Anti-Mendicancy Task Force will operate everyday it will not totally solve the problem, said task force presiding officer June Maratas, who represents the City Legal Office to the task force.

As a lawyer, Maratas said the enactment of Republic Act 9344, which prohibits the arrest and filing of criminal charges against the minors for begging has practically rendered useless the city’s campaign against the child mendicants.

According to Ganub, most of the barangay officials are not helping the city in the campaign against mendicancy in their territorial jurisdictions that is why many mendicants can still be seen in many areas of the city.

“Kon dili lang g’yud kita manghatag og kwarta aning mga makililimos apil na sa mga bata nga mangayo’g kwarta diha sa karsada hinay-hinay ra nga mapuo kining mga mendicants,” said Ganub.

She admitted that since they started operating, they have not yet filed a charged against anyone for violating City Ordinance 1631, the city’s anti-mendicancy law.

 Maratas suggested for the amendment of the existing anti-mendicancy ordinance so that those who will be caught giving alms to the mendicants shall be issued with citation tickets like what the city was doing against those who were caught for indiscriminately throwing their garbage in public places.   (FREEMAN NEWS)