BE warned giving alms to street beggars.

      The warning was issued by the City Social Welfare Office (CSWO) which has vowed to address the proliferation of street beggars in the city even as she called on the residents to refrain from giving alms.

      “Both the giver and the receiver are liable of charges in violation of  RA 1564, better  known as the Anti Mendicancy Law of the Philippines,” said CSWO officer Elsa Santillan in a  telephone interview with PUNCH Monday.

       Santillan said her office will be closely coordinating with higher authorities on a plan to keep the beggars off the city’s main thoroughfares since they pose danger not just to themselves but to motorists as well.

      She noted that majority of the persons begging for alms that surfaced over the past week belong to the ethnic groups of Aetas from Zambales and Badjaos from Mindanao.

       During the term of former Mayor Alipio Fernandez Jr., the same groups were sent back to their homes loading them on the next available ride with free sacks of rice. However, they always returned to the city a few days later evidently after consuming the rice given them.

       Santillan said her office has been receiving numerous complaints about the vagrants pestering people walking on the streets or on board their vehicles.

       The visiting vagrants usually set up camp at night along Perez Boulevard, near the foot of Magsaysay Bridge.

      Santillan said this issue has been a recurring problem, particularly during the Christmas season and annual fiesta celebration, and the city government has previously been adopting a maximum tolerance policy for humanitarian reasons.

      This year, however, Santillan said she intends to address the issue in line with the local government’s efforts at improving the city and making it more attractive to investors and tourists. – APE

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments