Why tribal folk no longer beg in Metro

Tribal folk from Mt. Province used to trek to Metro Manila to beg for alms. Not anymore.

A few months ago, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) began coordinating with local governments in the Cordillera province to provide livelihood and counseling assistance to the tribal folk to prevent them from going to the metropolis to beg during the Yuletide season.

"The DSWD and the local officials have worked for the strengthening of provisions of livelihood assistance for this people. Now, you can hardly see any beggar (from Mt. Province) in Metro Manila," she said.

There was talk that a few decades ago, a politician-philanthropist brought down tribal folk to let them see the beauty of Metro Manila.

Many of them, as the story went, noticed the presence of beggars around the metropolis, giving them the idea on how to earn easy money.

Since then, many tribal people had been going to Metro Manila to beg, taking advantage of the spirit of giving prevailing during the holidays.

According to Bala, they even timed their harvest to September or October for their "holiday break."

She, however, said many of these beggars do not even have to beg for a living.

The DSWD found out that they usually belong to three tribes in Mt. Province.

"Many of them have children who are already professionals," Bala said. "We told their children that it is dangerous for their aging parents to roam the city streets."