THE Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) will investigate reports that a syndicate is behind the proliferation of street beggars in the city.
The probe was ordered by CCPO Director Police Col. Enrico Figueroa after Mayor Nestor Archival revealed that a van has been seen dropping off beggars in various areas of the city.
The vehicle’s presence raises the possibility that the beggars, mostly adults with children, are being facilitated by an organized group that the police must investigate.
CCPO Information Officer Capt. Charisma Gonzales said Figueroa has ordered the police intelligence unit to immediately check the information received from the mayor.
“The intelligence unit was ordered to monitor who owns the van, as this information could probably lead us to the beggars’ facilitators,” Gonzales said in a mix of Cebuano and English.
The rise in beggars who solicit from vehicles on busy roads and intersections has alarmed the mayor as this could lead to several accidents.
Gonzales said the Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS) could also conduct rescue operations on the street children being used to beg.
She clarified, however, that the CCPO has yet to confirm the existence of a syndicate.
Gonzales explained that the police’s role is currently limited to providing area security for members of Cebu City’s Anti-Mendicancy Board tasked to enforce the anti-mendicancy ordinance. / AYB