THE City Social Welfare Development Office recently rescued 25 natives of Basilan after they were seen with their children sleeping at a sidewalk along Diego Silang Street.
Social worker Letty Tumbaga said the natives were fed and given overnight accommodation and were then sent to Dagupan, Pangasinan the following day, adding OCSWADO's counterpart in Dagupan confirmed that they are residents of an undisclosed barangay in Dagupan City.
The group came to Baguio to beg for alms, as they do not have a ready source of employment.
But she clarified this group is not in anyway connected to any syndicate regularly transporting group of children or adults to beg alms.
She said the group of Badjaos came up to Baguio on their own. They, in fact, went home using their own money.
Tumbaga said the group originally came from a resettlement area somewhere in Cavite, but they left the site allegedly in order to find employment elsewhere. Instead of finding a job they end up being exploited, she said.
As a temporary solution to this problem, Tumbaga said the city social welfare gives them pocket money and sends them home. She, however, admitted that for several times in the past, most of the people turned-over to them by the police had once been under their custody.
In key cities in Northern Luzon such as Dagupan and San Fernando City, La Union, there are livelihood programs initiated either by the local government unit or a private organization to help train indigenous peoples.
In Baguio, Tumbaga said a similar project has yet to be initiated.
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