SOME 28 minors were rescued last Wednesday night from the streets of Cebu City during Operation Gugma, a rescue operation for street children, conducted by police operatives, members of nongovernment organizations and City Government workers.
Redentor Betito, executive director of the Commission for the Welfare and Protection of Children (CWPC), said most of the children were immediately picked up by their parents at the Parian Drop-in Center.
The youngest rescued minor was three years old and the oldest was 15.
Four are still in the center because their parents don’t own a house and are sick.
Last Thursday, five children returned to seek temporary shelter in the center.
Six vehicles went around the streets where children are mostly seen at night, particularly Manalili, Carbon, Fuente Osmeña, near the Redemtorist Church, Colon, Mango and North Reclamation Area, among others.
Offer
Betito said that unlike previous operations, last Wednesday’s was different since they did not force the minors to come with them.
“We really asked them if they wanted to go with us, go to the center and told them that we will offer something that can help their lives improve,” he said.
Before releasing the children, Betito said parents were asked what help they wanted from the City Government.
Betito said they were offered employment and livelihood, so they can provide a better life for their children and prevent them from going back to the streets.
He said the City will employ 10 parents as park attendants.
Part of their tasks is to maintain the cleanliness of different parks assigned to them, including center islands of several roads.
Betito said they will also offer education assistance to nine of their children.
Five other parents availed themselves of the City’s livelihood program, with some seeking a capital grant to so they can start a small business while the others asked the CWPC to buy them a trisikad.
“Most of them have houses but they chose to be in the streets because their livelihood is there, so we made an agreement with them that if the City Government will provide another option of livelihood for them, they will refrain from using the streets as their homes,” Betito said.
Betito said the budget intended for intervention projects and programs was taken from the balance of the P2.8-million budget intended for the comprehensive program for street children, street families and indigenous people that the Department of Social Welfare and Development 7 granted to the City Government last year.