The City Social Welfare and Development Office of Davao (CSWDO), along with the Department of Social Welfare and Development XI (DSWD), is actively coordinating with stakeholders in the city, as well as in neighboring municipalities, to strengthen the anti-mendicancy campaign.
On October 6, the CSWDO launched the anti-mendicancy campaign to reduce the mendicancy activities in the city.
During the ISpeak Media Forum, Ms. Julie Dayaday, head of CSWDO, mentioned that members of Indigenous Peoples (IPs) groups who come to the city to ask for alms on the streets are subject to the Anti-Mendicancy Law.
Dayaday said that their street facilitators are working with the DSWD to profile these IP members and explain to them the risks of being on the streets.
“Maningkamot mi nga maistorya gyud sila, mapasabot gyud unsa ka risgo nga naa sila diri. Muingon man pud sila nga ‘o manguli mi,’ ‘gusto mi manguli’; sige kung gusto mo manguli amo mong ipakuha diri sa inyohang mayor o sa inyong CSWDO (We make an effort to communicate with them and help them understand how risky it is for them to be on the streets. They would tell us that they will go home or that they want to go home, then we offer to help them by coordinating with their mayor or CSWDO),” she said.
Ms. Crystal Mae Econ, Social Welfare Officer II of DSWD Social Technology Unit, also said that she is actively coordinating with officials in Talaingod, Kapalong, and Sta. Cruz where the majority of the IPs originate.
“Naa mi agreement nga pagmaprofile namo, mapicturan namo, kay ang uban naa may ID, so madetermine gyud kung taga-asa sila, i-post namo sa amoang GC and then i-coordinate na nila kung kanus-a nila kuhaon, human kami pud sa amoang end istoryahon pud namo to ilahang constituents nga sunduon mo (We have an agreement with Talaingod and Kapalong that after profiling and taking photos of the IPs, we will forward it to our group chat with them; and then they will coordinate with us for the scheduled transportation. On our end, we will inform the IPs that their municipality will be coming to help them go back to their homes),” she said.
Econ and Dayaday appealed to the public to help them in their campaign to reduce the mendicancy in the city by abiding by the Anti-mendicancy Law of 1978. Dayaday also encourages the public to help sustainably rather than giving temporary aid in the form of alms. CIO
