ACTING Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia has tasked the Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS), Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) and the acting city administrator to initiate an investigation regarding the case of a mother giving birth to a child at the side of the street.
In a report from the Cebu City Public Information Office’s Facebook page, Garcia said that in his initial feedback after interviewing the personnel involved in responding to the patient, there were lapses.
“We’ll just wait for the investigation to conclude, but we are very sorry for what had happened,” he said.
He added that he had already instructed the DSWS and CCTO to ensure the deceased bodies of the mother and infant are taken care of.
“Atong mahatagan og burial ug atong mahatagan og lungon (We can provide a burial and we can provide a coffin), unya (then) I will also be giving financial assistance to the family,” Garcia stated.
In a phone interview on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, Garcia said the acting city administrator had already issued a memo to conduct the investigation.
“Mohuwat nalang gyud ta sa (We’ll wait for the) formal investigation gikan sa (from the) City Legal Office before we can make any conclusion,” said Garcia.
Regarding measures for street dwellers and mendicancy, Garcia said that he would meet with the Anti-Mendicancy Board on Friday afternoon to discuss existing policies, direction and recommendations for the City Government.
Garcia said one of the points they will discuss is the Anti-Mendicancy Board’s request for a halfway house for the mendicants to occupy.
He said the City Government does not have safe houses for street dwellers.
SunStar Cebu tried to reach out to Harold Alcontin, head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, for comments and reaction regarding the matter, but to no avail.
DSWS head Portia Basmayor, in a separate interview on Friday, said that as part of the City Government’s intervention, they provided the coffin, sponsored church expenses and gave food to the remaining family.
Basmayor said the remaining four children of the deceased would be brought to the town of Alcoy, to the deceased’s sibling.
She said the deceased body of the mother would be buried on Monday, Aug. 19, at the Archdiocesan Shrine of San Nicolas Parish.
Regarding measures addressing mendicancy, Basmayor said there is a temporary house for them in Barangay Taptap.
According to her, their office provides food, livelihood opportunities and fare for street dwellers who want to go home.
However, Basmayor pointed out that not all street dwellers are homeless.
“Bisag naa pa silay mga balay diri sa Cebu City, mugawas gyud sila para mangayo (Even if they have houses in Cebu City, they still go out on the streets to beg),” she said.
She added that it is evident they prefer to live on the streets.
“Bisag sige tag-implement, dad-on sila didto, manglakaw gyud. Ang uban mang hitch og sakyanan para lang maabot sa ubos,” said Basmayor.
(Even if we rescue them and bring them to Taptap, they leave. Others would hitch to get to the uptown and downtown areas.)
She said the facility in Taptap has 19 vacant rooms to hold families. She added that they are still renovating the area to make it livable.
Basmayor said the City Government has a budget for their food and livelihood training. / JPS