Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Wednesday, Sept. 10, described to solons just how tough it is to address the problem of street dwellers in the Philippines. (Video courtesy of House of Representatives)
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.
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