FOLLOWING a viral video showing a group of underaged boys sniffing solvent or rugby from a plastic bag inside a public utility jeepney in Cebu City, a local legislator believes there is a need for greater cooperation with other local government units (LGUs) to address the problem.
City Councilor Phillip Zafra, in an interview on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, cited data from the anti-mendicancy board indicating that most rescued individuals are not from the city, but from provinces outside Cebu.
Zafra, chairman of the committee on peace and order, suggested that the City Government enter into a memorandum of agreement with LGUs where the families of these mendicants originate.
The agreement will ensure that when individuals are returned to their hometowns, they are provided with care to prevent their return to the city, according to Zafra.
Close coordination
Zafra said there is a need for close coordination among LGUs to develop programs for the mendicant population.
Regarding the minors in the video, the councilor felt sad that children are still falling into this vice.
The viral video, posted on Tuesday, April 9, by Jussil Princess Daño on Facebook, captures the minors disturbing passengers after boarding a traditional public utility jeepney (17B-Apas-Lahug-Colon route) bound downtown.
Zafra said the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) and the Department of Social Welfare and Services are responsible for tracking and identifying these children.
“I want the parents investigated. We must understand why they have allowed their children to fall into such destitution,” Zafra said in Cebuano.
Zafra has also directed the Business Permit and Licensing Office, together with barangays, to investigate small-scale establishments that may be selling solvents to minors.
Meanwhile, the CCPO’s Abellana Police Station has launched a search for minors.
Maj. Mark Don Alfred Leanza, the police station chief, said they have identified where these minors came from, and they have coordinated with the barangay officials for the rescue of the children. / AML, AYB, TPT