Mayor Lim forms taskforce for street children

Mayor Alfredo S. Lim met this morning with officials and members of different sectors, the church, non- governmental organizations, including superintendents of the Manila Police District to discuss important matters regarding forming a taskforce on street children at the oval room of the Manila City Hall.

Mayor Lim ordered Manila Police District Chief Superintendent General Alex Gutierrez, Attorney Ana Buan of the Barangay Bureau and Mr. Jay dela Fuente of the Manila Department of Social Welfare to head the taskforce on street children.

According to reports, there are approximately 1.5 million street children in the Philippines-about 70,000 roam the streets of Metro Manila alone. Sadly, these numbers consistently increase year in and year out.

According to reports, government rescue operations see the children as eyesores that need to be kept off the streets. With batons, handcuffs and guns used in their operations, the children therefore see them as arrests and not rescue.

About 30 percent of those who were rescued were sleeping, so the children wake up in the shelters thinking they were kidnapped.

According to Teresita Silva, President of Childhope Foundation, "one of the major problem that street children encounter, is when they are about to enter the recovery center, wala na po sila matitirahan, punong puno na po ang mga NGO centers, wala napo o mapaglalagyan sa kanila."

"When you rescue these street children, we can accommodate them at Boys Town , after all it will ensure there future because they will reach up to high school." Lim said.

"For your information, ang Boys Town is a 21 hectare lot. And the city is supporting these people all the way." Or if all these facilities are full, there is an alternative place like the Hospicio de San Jose ; they take care of any abandoned children up to high school". Lim added.

The NGO's and the different sectors are willing to support any program together with the Manila Department of Social Welfare.

Manila will be the model of all the barangays for child protection, and Mayor Lim gave assurance to support any suggestions and programs.

Manila Police District Chief Superintendent General Alex Gutierrez, also gave an assurance to support all programs.

Bishop-in-charge of NASSA Broderick Pabillo, Mrs. Teresita Silva, (President of Childhope foundation) Lily Flurdelis and Cathy Scherri (Bahay Tuluyan), Attorney Ana Buan (Barangay Bureau), Mr. Jay dela Fuente (Manila Department of social Welfare), Officials of CARITAS Manila and some Barangay Officials were present during the meeting. - manila.gov.ph — ARA