Rama creates task force to clean city from street dwellers

 CEBU, Philippines - Mayor Michael Rama has created a task force to go after night street dwellers or those persons who just sleep along the sidewalks and roads during nighttime until the following morning.

Rama tasked former City Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera to head the task force with members from the Department of Public Services (DPS), City Hall demolition team, Anti-Mendicancy Commission and City Traffic Operations Management.

City Hall public information officer Carlo Duga-Duga said the task force will round up all persons found sleeping or staying on city’s sidewalks after 10 o’clock in the evening and they will be brought to the former Citi-Center Commercial Complex in Barangay Kamagayan.

As of yesterday, personnel of City Hall’s demolition team were still cleaning up a portion of the former wet market so it can be used as holding area for those persons who will be rounded up from the sidewalks.

Inside the covered wet market’s holding area, the city would install bathrooms, several bamboo and wooden cots and toilets that could be used for the street dwellers, but they will not be allowed to cook their food inside the holding area.

“Dili sila tugotan nga makaluto og pagkaon sa holding area sa Citi-Center kay basin og dili na ‘sab sila mamahawa, (They will not be allowed to cook their food inside the holding at Citi-Center because they might not leave anymore.)” said Duga-Duga.

According to Duga-Duga, the main purpose of the mayor to take out the street dwellers from the sidewalks at night is to prevent them from getting sick, saying “Makadaut baya na nga matulog ta sa bugnaw. (Sleeping on the cold streets makes you sick.)”

But Duga-Duga explained that Rama also does not want people sleeping on the sidewalks, particularly during Christmas season, because it will give a bad image to the city.

Duga-Duga said the city’s “Balik-Probinsya” program which sends street dwellers back to their hometowns, will still continue.

Meanwhile, Duga-Duga said the mayor also tasked the DPS to install lights in the dark areas of the city as one way of discouraging sidewalk dwellers.

Several months ago, the city housed the street dwellers at the second floor of the Taboan public market, but said persons built shanties and refused to leave the place.

Market Administrator Raquel Arce decided to disallow the street dwellers to use the place after some of them even got involved in illegal activities by making their shanties as a place where they use drugs.  (FREEMAN)