DSWD: Beggars earn up to P1,500 daily

MANILA, Philippines — Beggars in Metro Manila are receiving P1,000 up to P1,500 daily from empathetic motorists, a Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) official said yesterday.

“This has been a running joke in the agency, that they seem to earn more than we do,” Marilyn Moral, DSWD Pag-abot program spokesperson, said at a news briefing.

According to Moral, beggars receive more money during the months leading to the Christmas season.

She said Aetas, an indigenous group, head for Manila even “before Jose Mari Chan sings his classic Christmas songs.”

“They bring with them their produce like kamote and ginger, not to mention their children. It’s like they’re on a family excursion,” she added.

Based on DSWD data, Aetas account for the biggest group of people rescued or sent back to the provinces during the last quarter of 2023, with 411 of them reintegrated into regions where they belong.

Moral noted that they also encountered some Badjaos or sea nomads.

The agency’s “Balik Probinsya” program recorded 741 beneficiaries in 2023: 35 from Luzon, 33 from the National Capital Region, 24 from Bicol, 23 from Eastern Visayas, 17 from Southern Tagalog, 15 each from Central and Western Visayas and 13 from Davao.

The program aims to decongest urban communities by relocating families and marginalized people to their home provinces.