Help us, street kids ask presidential bets

ROADSIDE LULLABY A group of homeless children and their pet dog have found themselves a “bedroom” under an Edsa flyover. Can a five-page letter written in their behalf—and addressed to the country’s next President—be enough to take them off the pavement? Inquirer file photo

To mark the International Day for Street Children on Tuesday, a group of kids who grew up on Metro Manila’s streets urged the five candidates running for President not to “sweep [them] under the rug” but work toward improving their plight.

“What if [one of] these children has the cure for cancer? Or maybe the next President who could make the Philippines a better [country]?” Dona (not her real name) said in an interview with the Inquirer.

The 15-year-old high school student was among the youth representatives from different nongovernment organizations (NGOs) who cited the plight of street children in a letter addressed to presidential candidates Vice President Jejomar Binay, Senators Grace Poe and Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas.

In their letter, the youth representatives composed of former and current street kids raised some questions:

• “What will you do about government shelters where children are abused and their rights violated?”
• “How will you help change society’s negative perceptions about children with street connections?”
• “What will you do about the lack of public playgrounds for Filipino children?”

The five-page letter delivered to the candidates’ respective campaign headquarters on Tuesday was the result of discussions among 45 kids who attended the Streetchildren’s Congress in Quezon City in February.

During the event, the former and current street kids took up their welfare concerns and how government could best address these.

Topping the list was the issue of “violent and scary” rescue operations followed by the “inadequacy” of government shelters such as the Manila Boystown Complex in Marikina City and the Manila Reception and Action Center or RAC which is currently closed for renovations.

In 2014, RAC—a shelter for street kids managed by the Manila City government—was criticized and likened to a concentration camp after a photo of Frederico (not his real name), one of its wards, went viral. It showed the malnourished boy lying naked on the floor, with bruises all over his body.

“This is our call to all presidential candidates. Children with street connections—either living, working or playing on the street, because they have no proper homes—want to go to decent shelters. Instead, that is where they experience abuse,” Catherine Scerri said in an interview. The deputy director of Bahay Tuluyan, an NGO promoting children’s rights, was the one who exposed the plight of Frederico whom she spotted during a visit to RAC.

Asked by Inquirer to recount her experience as a street dweller, Dona said: “They forced me to stay inside RAC. I’ve been there three times, but since my mother was with me, I wasn’t harmed. The food that was served though was disgusting,” Dona said. “Hygiene wasn’t a priority—we were forced to share one toothbrush with many others.”

Aside from concerns about violent rescue operations and abuse in government shelters, the letter also listed the children’s practical recommendations for livelihood and educational programs. One suggestion was to open “bridge classrooms” which wouldn’t follow the traditional academic calendar, making it easier for poor kids who drop in and out of school to finish their education.

The street kids also recommended that government create “decent” jobs for their parents and provide them with permanent housing, free healthcare and medicines. They also called on whoever would win the presidency to “help us when our [own] families hurt us.”