EDITORIAL - The homeless

Just hours after the departure of Pope Francis from Manila, the children were back in the streets, begging from motorists and passersby. In the evening they sought shelter with their parents beside bushes and under bridges, or slept on the concrete benches and seawall along Roxas Boulevard’s Baywalk.

The controversy over the roundup of street children to keep them out of sight during the papal visit highlights the acute lack of facilities for assisting underprivileged Filipino children. Among the most poignant moments of the papal visit was when a homeless girl now cared for by a church charity wept as she told Pope Francis at the University of Santo Tomas that street children were forced into prostitution and a life of drug abuse.

There are too many such children in the streets of Metro Manila and other urban centers around the country. Super Typhoon Yolanda swelled their numbers. The Department of Social Welfare and Development can take them off the streets, but there is no facility to accommodate the children and their families for a prolonged stay.

The nation lacks even facilities to house juvenile delinquents. Minors apprehended for misdemeanors are soon back in the streets, begging, sniffing rugby or picking pockets. Young victims of domestic violence or who are sold for sex often find themselves back in the care of their abusive elders.

Adoption may save certain children from abuse. Social welfare officials, however, have noted that this is not a common practice in this country, especially if the child is no longer a toddler and the biological parents are alive and known to the child.

Basic education is free and universal, and could open opportunities for a better life for the destitute. Homeless families, however, lack money even for a decent meal and are unlikely to have extra funds to pay for the numerous miscellaneous expenses of sending a child to school.

Such problems are common in all countries where large segments of the population are considered extremely poor. The current controversy has focused the spotlight on a neglected segment of Philippine society.

The challenge is daunting and most of the answers are long-term but not impossible: the expansion of socialized housing, and the development of underserved communities to provide livelihood opportunities and discourage urban migration. In disaster areas, speeding up reconstruction can reduce the number of street dwellers.

No one wants to live in the streets. With some help from the private sector, the government can do more to reduce the ranks of the homeless.