As in the visit in January of Pope Francis, the homeless have disappeared from Roxas Boulevard and neighboring streets. Both the national and local governments cannot conceal the fact that the street dwellers were rounded up and taken to shelters, although officials would not directly say that this was done as part of preparations for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Manila next week.
The government would not be getting flak for this if care for the homeless is a sustained program. Given the limited resources for welfare services, however, sustained assistance for street dwellers is an ambitious goal, and it looks like the occasional roundups will be around for many more major events to be held in Metro Manila.
With an estimated 40 percent of the population living below the poverty line and a significant percentage classified as extremely poor, street dwellers are ubiquitous in many parts of Metro Manila. Many come from the countryside in search of employment. There was a spike in their numbers shortly after Super Typhoon Yolanda devastated Eastern Visayas in 2013.
Unable to earn a living, they cannot afford to pay for decent shelter so they end up living with their families in the streets or even under bridges. Without the preparations for APEC, they can be seen along stretches of Roxas Boulevard at night, sleeping on the seawall or behind bushes. The children sell small items or rap on car windows for alms even late in the night.
Social welfare offices do not have the resources to provide anything more than brief care for the homeless. The country has no decent state facilities for abandoned children or the elderly or even for the rehabilitation of juvenile delinquents.
In considering what to do with the street dwellers around the APEC routes and venues, policy makers should consider long-term approaches so that people are not forced by circumstances to live in the streets.