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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Luzon devider Street dwellers, mendicants rescued from streets of Cebu City

Street dwellers, mendicants rescued from streets of Cebu City

Published Oct 16, 2020 04:12 pm

CEBU CITY—At least 100 street dwellers and mendicants were rounded up here yesterday (Friday).

The rescue operation was still ongoing as of press time as policemen and city hall personnel scoured the city’s major thorough fares to comply with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) order to clear the streets of mendicants, carolers, vendors and dwellers.

The rescue operation was a whole day activity, said Police Col. Josefino Ligan, chief of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO).

The rescued individuals were brought first to the Plaza Independencia for profiling.

“They were made to take a bath. They were given free haircuts and underwent medical check-ups,” said Raquel Arce, chief of the city’s Prevention Restoration Order Beautification and Enhancement (PROBE) team.

Arce said there was also a proposal to conduct rapid testing to ensure that the rescued individuals were coronavirus disease (COVID-19) free.

Those who are not residents of Cebu City will be brought to a halfway house while their return to their provinces is being processed as part of the “Balik Probinsya” program.

Cebu City residents will be turned over to their respective barangays.

“The barangay should ensure that they will not be returning to the streets because if they will be caught again, they will be charged for violation of the anti-mendicancy ordinance,” said Arce.

One of the rescued individuals was Serlita Ejolin, a 72-year-old native of Danao City, northern Cebu.

Ejolin has been loitering Cebu City streets asking for alms for the past 15 years.

She said poverty forced her and her husband to leave Danao, thinking that life would be better in Cebu City.

Ejolin said when her husband passed away, she opted to stay in Cebu City.

“It would be hard if I go home because I cannot find money there for my food and medicines,” Ejolin said in Cebuano.

Ligan said the CCPO will recommend to the city government to sustain the rescue operations to keep street dwellers from going back to the streets.

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