‘Rescued’ street dwellers return to Cebu City village

CEBU, Philippines —  San Nicolas Proper Barangay Captain Clifford Jude Niñal hopes that the Cebu City government will make serious efforts in rescuing the homeless and not only for some sort of publicity stunts.

This as homeless individuals have returned to the barangay for shelter.

“Nidaghan na pud ning mga homeless diri sa amoa karon ay. Maglisod na gyud ko ani, unsay akong ipakaon ug asa papuy-on,” said Niñal.

He said these street dwellers are the same ones “rescued” by the city’s Prevention Restoration Order Beautification and Enhancement (PROBE) last December.

“Tinud-on na unta ni nila. Katong pag last gani nga gipanguha ning mga homeless diri, nagpatabang sa akoa kay wa silay kaon didtong Labangon (where the city’s Department of Social Welfare is located). Gipadalhan pa namog pagkaon didto,” recalled Niñal.

Adding up to Niñal’s concern is the safety and security of the homeless street dwellers since COVID-19 cases in city have also gone up.

Earlier, the city police warned them not to return to the streets or else they will face charges for violating the city’s anti-mendicancy ordinance.

In its latest monitoring, the barangay reported three families of street dwellers who contracted the virus. They have been roaming around San Nicolas.

“Ang akoa ani kay asa kaha ni sila maglakaw-lakaw, dis-a sila natakdan unya makatakod pas uban, samot ka dako atong problema ani,” said Niñal.

Aside from getting infected with COVID, Niñal said, there is an ongoing construction at the gym where the homeless people used to stay in.

He said they area is no longer safe there due to possible falling debris.

Niñal also noted that there are new faces of street dwellers around the barangay, saying they have been contributing to more garbage and causing sanitary concerns around Taboan Market.

“Naay mga uban di gyud pabadlong bisan asa lang magkalat, maghugaw-hugaw, mangalibang bisan asa,” he said.

Last year, even DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu, the city’s COVID-19 overseer here, instructed barangay captains to look into the homeless for their own safety and the rest of the community. — KQD (FREEMAN)