Amid Ulysses threat, Isko Moreno assures street dwellers of temporary shelters

MANILA, Philippines — Manila Mayor Isko Moreno on Wednesday said the city government has readied temporary shelters for street dwellers as Typhoon Ulysses is expected to hit the Philippine landmass.

“Ang Pamahalaang Lungsod ng Maynila [PLM], since Day one of this pandemic, nagtatag kami ng mga temporary shelter for our homeless and street dwellers. In fact, we have 700 plus individuals na pinangangalagaan ng lungsod. May pagkain sa umaga [at] tanghali. Nagtatag din kami ng mga temporary sturdy materials tulad ng mga banyo at palikuran,” Moreno said in an interview with ABS-CBN Teleradyo when asked if Manila prepared assistance for Manileños sleeping on the streets amid Ulysses.

(The PLM has temporary shelters for street dwellers. In fact, we have 700 plus individuals that we have taken care of. They have food in the morning and in the afternoon. We also established temporary sturdy materials such as bathrooms and toilets.)

Moreno said he offers assistance to the homeless to “make them feel that they are part of the society.”

“Pag Friday, may mga pa-sine sila (street dwellers). We wanted them to feel they are part of society. Hundreds of them, naipadala na rin natin sa kani-kanilang mga probinsya. Marami tayong natulungan through the help of DSWD [Department of Social Welfare and Development] and MDSW [Manila Department of Social Welfare.],” the mayor said.

(On Fridays, they watch movies. We wanted to make them feel that they are part of society. Hundreds of them were already deployed to their provinces.  We helped a lot of people through the help of DSWD and MDSW.)

Ulysses is packing maximum sustained winds of 125 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gusts of up to 155 kph. Signal No. 3 is now up in Metro Manila due to the typhoon.

/MUF