DSWD: Badjao mendicants earn as much as ₱5,000 a day

DSWD Sec. Erwin Tulfo FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Badjao people who were forced into mendicancy in Metro Manila could earn as much as ₱5,000 daily in asking for some loose change, according to Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) chief Erwin Tulfo.

This was learned during the rescue operations of the DSWD last week, among other things, according to Tulfo.

“Unfortunately, while in the process of rescuing them. We found out several things,” Tulfo said during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay media forum on Wednesday.

“Mayroon silang inuupahan diyan, na parang bahay sa Tondo, parang board and lodging… and we found out base sa social worker namin sa interview, kumikita sila ng parang 5,000 pesos per day,” he also said.

(They were renting a board and lodging in Tondo. We found out, based on the social workers’ interview, that they are earning as much as five thousand pesos a day.)

It can be recalled that the DSWD rescued some 100 mendicant Badjaos from the streets of Metro Manila last week.

Tulfo said that each rescued family will be given P10,000 each that could be used for their livelihood.

“Kinausap natin noong isang araw. Ayun ang sinasabi wala kaming kabuhayan, kung may ayuda daw ba na binibigay, pinipili lang daw ng LGU,” Tulfo also said.

(We talked to them days before. Then they told us that they have no livelihood and that the local government units [did not include them] as choices for cash assistance.)

“So what I did was, sabi ko, bigyan na lang ng pangkabuhayan nila … kinausap na namin yung provincial welfare office doon sa Jolo, Sulu, sila na ang bahala magdistribute sa tao, kasama ang social welfare namin,” he added.

(So what I did was, let’s just give them a livelihood program. We talked to the provincial welfare office in Jolo, Sulu, then they would distribute the amount to them, together with our social welfare.)

JPV