THERE you go.
Apparently, the majority of street dwellers in Cebu City are city residents who have a roof over their heads. They choose to live outdoors so they can take advantage of the relief assistance that is distributed by the Roman Catholic Church and other well-meaning individuals.
At least, that’s how I understood Lt. Col. Wilbert Parilla when he talked about the 154 street dwellers that the City Government, with the help of members of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), rounded up on Friday, Oct. 16, 2020, during a One Time, Big Time operation.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not naïve. I know who the deputy director for operation of the CCPO was referring to. I have seen these “professional” beggars get dropped off on street corners by vehicles at least twice.
But he should at least acknowledge that homeless people do exist. They are not figments of people’s imagination. And for them, being homeless is not a matter of choice.
Some of them may have lost their homes to calamities like fire or floods. Some of them may not be able to rent a house, let alone a room after finding themselves without a job when the government imposed lockdowns that restricted movement and shut down many businesses to try to contain the coronavirus threat.
I mean, there are several legitimate factors that would explain their current state.
I think it’s unfair to generalize and automatically assume that they rely on handouts or beg for a living. I’m sure if it were up to them, they’d rather be employed so they could afford to live in a house and eat three meals a day.
I’m not saying that they should be allowed to stay on the streets indefinitely. But we are living in unusual times, which call for unusual measures.
By the way, I am not questioning the move to remove them. Pandemic or not, they shouldn’t be out there. The streets are fraught with danger. And I’m not just talking about diseases like the novel coronavirus. But as I said, for some, it’s not a matter of choice.
Instead of herding them like cattle, the City and the police should help these street dwellers. Like what they did to the five persons they rounded up on Friday who remain in a halfway house.
It turned out that they are locally stranded individuals who lost their livelihood due to the health crisis. They have no money to rent a place of their own. No money to buy food. No money to get home. So they rely on public generosity to survive.
Authorities should take that in mind the next time they conduct a “rescue” operation.