00:00First of all, there are a lot of questions regarding the Tagal-Mindanao, Region 10, but I have noticed that until now, I've been in Manila.
00:16But since I was married to the Tagal-Mindanao, we still have a problem with the homeless people in the world.
00:28Aside from how we think we can help them by giving them the homeless so that they don't have a direct connection or a program where you can talk about who is in that area.
00:47Kung police ba, traffic enforcers ba, sino po ba ang pwedeng magtanggal sa kanila sa kalye para hindi po sila endangered ang life nila.
00:59And at the same time, hindi din po sila magiging sanhi ng aksidente na magiging kasalanan patuloy ng mahakabanga sa kanila.
01:08Ang gusto ko lang po malaman, minsan kasi parang temporary lang ang nabibigay nating tulong sa kanila.
01:15Hindi din natin nalalaman bakit sila nandyan sa daan.
01:19Minsan bata yan, mga 5 years old, may bit-bit na 1 year old.
01:23Meron yan, matatanda, pero walang kasamang kahit na sino, baka biglang atakihin yan sa daan.
01:30Meron naman din mga medyo alerto na mga bata na medyo aktibo pa, pero wala sila sa mga skwelahan.
01:36Sino po ba talaga ang tutulong sa atin para ma-assist talaga sila ng sakto na hindi na sila babalik dyan?
01:45Kasi minsan marami silang mga dahilan.
01:48Homeless sila dahil posibleng tinanggal sila ng pamilya nila, sa bahay nila, nag-away, na walan talaga sila ng relasyon.
01:56Minsan, ang bata, na-abuse na pala siya, mentally, sexually, sa lahat po ng klaseng abuse na daanan niya.
02:04Naayaw na niyang umuwi.
02:06So, saan sila pupunta para naman siguro mapabago natin ang mga buhay nila at sino rin ang tutulong sa kanila?
02:14Ang magka-address ng minsan di na talaga sila tinatanggal.
02:17Andyan lang sila, nakahiga na lang sila sa daan.
02:20Nagihintay na lang, pero walang pumapansin talaga sa kanila.
02:24Matagal na po itong problema, as much as ang ganda po ng programa ng DSWD sa mga walang gutom, gutom po talaga din sila.
02:33Pero all at the same time, yung pagiging homeless nila, minsan hindi din nila ginusto.
02:39Minsan, ang iba dyan, meron din mental concerns or disabilities na wala na rin nag-alaga sa kanila.
02:47Pinabayaan na rin sila ng mga magulang nila dahil hindi na nila kaya ang problema ng anak nilang may disability mental ba, social, psychological.
02:56Marami po sila.
02:58Minsan din naman po, tinitake advantage ng maraming grupo.
03:02Dinadala sila sa isang lugar, nang lilimo sila, nasisindikato na.
03:06So how do we address this kind of issue na matagal na?
03:10Bata po po tayo, Secretary, may ganito na pong problema ang ating komunidad.
03:16Medyo nabawasan, pero kung pwede lang, baka meron po kayong maibibigay din po ng mga solusyon
03:21para totally hindi na natin sila mapapabayaan while they are on the streets.
03:27Maraming salamat po, Mr. Secretary and Mr. Chair.
03:30Madam Chair, Mr. Chair, the congresswoman asked a question that I'm very thankful for
03:37because I've managed to answer it a while ago, but let me re-emphasize.
03:39It's a program that we really like.
03:41It's called the Pagabot Program.
03:42Una ho sa katanungan, sino ba talaga dapat ang nag-aalaga?
03:45I come from the ranks of the local government unit, and really, social welfare is devolved to the local government unit.
03:51Dapapangasiwa yan dapat ng mga city hall.
03:54Pero kami, naunawaan namin na hindi nila kaya pag sila lamang
03:58dahil they're saddled with so many things to do.
04:01That's why pagpasok ko sa departamento, we institutionalize the Pagabot Program.
04:05It's a line item in the budget.
04:08Bago hong programa yan.
04:09Ano ho ba yung Pagabot Program?
04:11We commissioned our own team that goes around the major thoroughfares.
04:15Major thoroughfares of NCR.
04:17At since 2023, umiikot ho yan.
04:20We have around 100 plus social workers.
04:22They reach out, convince, and we bring them to a temporary shelter.
04:27By the way ho, yung temporary shelter na ginagamit namin
04:29ay isang dating pogo hub sa Pasay na kinonvert na ho namin.
04:34Ngayon, when they stay there for a month, what do we do with them?
04:37First, wala hong mga ID to.
04:39So we use technology to get their biometrics.
04:41Bakit ho importante yan?
04:43Para pag bumalik ho sila sa lansangan,
04:45malalaman namin at ma-assess namin kung yung intervention na ginamit namin ay tama at angkop.
04:50Pangalawa, pagkatapos nila mamalagi sa aming pasalidad ng isang buwan,
04:54sinisigurado namin na maiuwi namin sila sa mga community nila
04:57na may kaakibat na economic grant
04:59at minomonitor ng mga field office namin
05:02kaakibat ng mga local government units sa probinsya.
05:05Now, tatanungin nyo,
05:06ano na ba ho ang impact o ano ang assessment
05:08na may nakikita pa rin ho kayo sa lansangan?
05:10Sa aming talaan,
05:12ang naprofile na ho namin,
05:14kulang-kulang 12,000 individuals
05:16na nakatira sa lansangan ng Greater Metro Manila Area,
05:19of which 6,000 to 7,000 ang sumama na sa amin.
05:24Bakit hindi ho sa pilitan?
05:26Even if we wanted to,
05:27it's still a rights-based approach.
05:30The Commission on Human Rights has protocols on this.
05:33Social workers have protocols on this.
05:36Kadalasan, kinukombinsi ho namin sila
05:38pero meron talagang ayaw sumama sa amin.
05:41So, may moto nga sa loob ng departamento.
05:44Ang sabi nga ng mga social worker,
05:46pwedeng kulitin pero bawal pilitin.
05:48So, ang role na lang namin,
05:50balik kami ng balik sa kanila.
05:52And in fact, one of your colleagues,
05:54si Congressman JC Avalos,
05:55joined one of these reach-out operations
05:57wherein he witnessed firsthand
06:00how hard it is to convince.
06:02Clearly, what we're doing is an intervention
06:05but it has to be holistic.
06:07And hindi namin kakayanin ito
06:09without the necessary support
06:10from local government units
06:12and from other partners in the community.
06:15But what we can tell you is
06:16almost 50% of those profiled
06:19are no longer in the streets.
06:21At patuloy namin silang i-reach out,
06:23babalikan, at babalikan.
06:25Pangalawa,
06:26we are now in the process of expanding
06:28to other metro areas.
06:29Metro Cebu is something that we're looking at.
06:32The northern corridor of Metro Manila,
06:34we're looking at that.
06:35Kasi itong problema ng homelessness
06:37is something that we see
06:39very prevalent in highly urbanized areas.
06:42So, we're in the process of expanding,
06:45making sure that we employ
06:46rights-based approach
06:47in trying to reach out
06:49to these individuals.
06:54Salamat po, Mr. Secretary.
06:56Okay na po ako, Mr. Chair.
06:57Thank you po.
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