Dumaguete LGU to rid streets of mendicants

CEBU, Philippines - The Dumaguete City government had started its heightened campaign to rid the streets of mendicants and similarly-natured people who are literally living in these places.

City Administrator William Ablong, head of Task Force SAGARR, announced Wednesday operations will continue to stop these people from begging for food and coins. The law against mendicancy is very clear, and that the law against children exploitation is also violated, he said.

TF SAGARR, in two operations on Tuesday, rounded up from the streets 33 adults and children and brought them to the gymnasium of the Dumaguete City High School for profiling and photographing, which will guide city officials on identifying returning ones to the transients.

Ablong said those rounded up mendicants included blind persons, Badjaos, members of the Ata tribe from Mabinay and Bais City in Negros Oriental, from Santander in Cebu, and informal settlers from the outskirt village of Cantil-e. They were told to go home and warned against going back to the streets, he added.  (FREEMAN)