Dinky Soliman reacts to critics: We cannot hide poverty

Amid continuous allegations that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) cleared out street dwellers for the recently concluded Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Manila, Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman has maintained that they are not hiding homeless people as poverty itself cannot be cloaked.

“Again, I say, we cannot hide poverty. And just to give you the numbers: Only 77 families were reached out [to] by the city of Manila [on] the days [prior the Apec summit]—a week before,” an emotional Soliman told reporters during the “Araw ng Kabataan” event of DSWD in Manila on Saturday.

READ: Dinky Soliman: We don’t hide kids, poor people | Clearing of street dweller not for Apec—Dinky Soliman

Soliman and DSWD came under fire when 100 homeless families were brought in a resort in Batangas during the visit of Pope Francis in January, supposedly to attend a seminar. But the social welfare chief maintained that most of the families have been provided with assistance, including shelter and employment opportunities.

“Just to let you know, we had 100 families that we have been giving orientation during the visit of the Pope. We were accused of hiding. [Those] 100 families, 75 of them already have houses, have jobs, and their children are going to school and health clinics. Half decided to [go] back to the province and the other half went back to their resettlement houses and we area providing livelihood assistance,” she said.

Soliman reiterated that DSWD did not take homeless families away from the streets just because of an international event being held in the country, but because the department wanted to protect them.

“Tuluy-tuloy po ang pakikipag-ugnayan, mandato po ng lokal na pamahalaan na siguraduhin na ang mga bata, mga pamilya ay kanilang napo-proteksyunan, at hindi po pagpoprotekta ang pananatili nila sa kalsada… Hindi po sila kinukuha dahil lang may Apec. ‘Yung sinabing nagbalikan na daw po ang mga bata at pamilya,” Soliman said.

(Coordination is continuous, it is the local government’s mandate to ensure that the children and the families are protected and letting them roam the streets does not protect them… They are not being rounded up just because of the Apec summit.)

“This is not a one-off effort. This has been going on since 2013. And since 2013, we have been providing options to those living on the streets through the conditional cash transfer program. As one of them said to me, ‘Ma’am, hindi mo lang ako nilayo sa kalsada, nilayo mo rin ako sa kulungan (you are not just getting them off the streets, you are also keeping them out of prison).’ That’s the kind of work that we do. This is not one-off. This is not because we have visitors. It’s because it’s the right of every Filipino to be assisted,” she added.

Noting that DSWD is just doing its job regardless of timing, Soliman said she is leaving up critics who don’t offer constructive and well-informed opinions to the Lord.

“‘Yung pambabatikos nga na tuwing may national event, inaakusahan kaming itinatago namin ang mga bata. Pero kapag ginagawa naman namin ito na walang national event, hindi kami kinikibo. Ibig sabihin ko, ang akin na lang pagtingin, makikinig ako kung totoong meron kaming maling ginawa aking wawastuhin. ‘Yung mga kritikong para maging nega lamang, pinapasa-Diyos ko na lang ‘yun,” she said.

(We are criticized every time there is a national event, we are being accused of hiding the street children. But when we do this even if there is no national event, we are not noticed. In my point of view, I would listen [to the criticisms] and if we really do have shortcomings, I would correct them. The critics who just spread negativity, I just leave [their fate] up to the Lord.) CDG