Letter to the Editor - Mendicancy

The city government is now intent in enforcing the anti-mendicancy law.

The police and barangay authorities, as always, will be at the forefront in this drive. One supposes civic groups may be joining them, too.

A "No Beggars" city would indeed be very appealing to tourists and motorists, the ones usually "pestered" and turned of by beggars.

But we should never forget that the beggars who may be targeted by this drive are the people in our society who really do need to beg. Let's be realistic, no hirer would ever give any of them a job.

I totally ignore individuals who are healthier than me by the looks of them, but I'll never turn away someone without an arm or leg, especially without both arms and legs. Is this law or ordinance really worth enforcing on these people and we still call ourselves a society?

We turn them away from any decent means of livelihood and we also turn them away from this, the only one available to them. Instead, our high-fallutin' government officials should be looking for ways to give these beggars an alternative. That's the really more challenging part of presuming to govern.

And yet, the beggars in our midst who do not need and should not be allowed to beg, and who should be driven out from the temple, as it were, are the watch-your-car boys (who also should be shown an alternative) and, most urgently, all those senders of solicitation letters-yes, including the city, police, barangay, religious groups, so-called civic groups, even media groups, ad nauseum. For aren't these people begging, too? Solicitation is not mendicancy?

These are the beggars who should not be allowed to beg, because these people can very well fund their own so-called "projects". But those beggars on the streets, those "eyesores" cannot even get the next meal without having to beg. So city planners, start planning.
Peary Y. Aleonar Jr.
0791 F. Ramos Ext
Capitol Site, Cebu City