This 2015, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) began replicating the Comprehensive Program for Street Children, Street Families and Indigenous Peoples, especially Bajaus in seven other highly urbanized cities in six regions where there is high prevalence of street children and street families. These are in Regions III, IV-A, V, VI, VII, and XI.

The Department has been implementing the program in the National Capital Region (NCR) only since 2011.

The program develops income generating opportunities and skills training for children and their families to prevent them from working on the streets, creates activity centers where they could have life skills trainings and literacy activities, and provides shelter assistance for them to permanently leave the streets and to eventually gain access to basic social services.

“The program also aims to generate strong support for the campaign to reduce the incidence of street dwelling and increase awareness of the general public on the plight of street children and families. This will be done through the conduct of advocacy activities and mobilization of resources to support interventions,” DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman said.

From 2011 to 2015, the comprehensive program has provided educational assistance to 4,983 street children and 2,269 Sama-Bajau children.

In addition, 69 activity centers were established and are now operational. NCR has 44; Legazpi City, 5; Davao City, 8; Iloilo City, 10; and, Bacolod City, 2. This is in coordination with local government units (LGUs) and non-government organizations (NGOs).

Since 2011, a total of 14,496 street children have been attending sessions and participating in recreational activities in the activity centers nationwide. In partnership with the Department of Education, these street children were eventually reintegrated to regular and alternative educational system.

Interventions for Bajaus

Meanwhile, about 371-Sama-Bajau children have been attending sessions in the activity center specifically built for them in Region III. The LGUs also started catering to Sama-Bajau children in their supplemental feeding and other Early Childhood Care and Development services.

These strategies resulted in the reduced number of parents  who bring their children to the streets to beg and increased their awareness and participation in the community and civic activities, table etiquette, and values formation.

Moreover, children are protected from all forms of abuses and exploitation.

Older Bajau street children and the youth are also given access to the community intervention program, which includes counseling services in activity centers and minding centers, tutorial services, and administrative work in the barangays.

These activities lessened the number of children becoming involved in criminal activities since these keep them away from the streets where unscrupulous groups and individuals use them to commit crimes.  Around 358 youth benefited from the program.

Another component of the comprehensive program is the birth and civil registration, where 5,758 Sama-Bajau learned the importance of birth and marriage registration, resulting in their increased access to other government services requiring legal documents. The community also recognized them as Filipino nationals.

The Department also implemented the Empowering Learning sessions for Indigenous Peoples Initiative (ELIPI) participated in by 1,775 Sama-Bajaus and other stakeholders. Through the ELIPI sessions, the Sama-Bajaus learned their rights and became empowered individuals.  This is proven through their progress from being mere recipients of services to project partners as they served as co-facilitators in the implementation of ELIPI. Through the ELIPI, a number of potential Sama-Bajau leaders emerged and strengthened.

No to street caroling

Sec. Soliman also reiterated the Department’s advocacy campaign  against giving alms or gifts to children on the streets and those boarding public vehicles passing out envelopes.

“We encourage all barangays to conduct activities in the activity centers so the street children will not beg or carol in the streets during the holiday season, Sec. Soliman said.

These activities include parol making, belen making, caroling, showcase of talents and gift giving.  “This way, the children would really feel the Christmas spirit,” Sec. Soliman added.

“Through our campaign, ‘Tamang tulong ang kailangan, hindi ang pagbibigay ng limos sa lansangan,’ we encourage the public to give help in the proper way and right places, not on the streets because this will only reinforce the children’s beliefs that if they want gifts or money, they can go to the streets,” Sec. Soliman pointed out.

To further counter the incidence of children begging on the streets, DSWD NCR pilot tested a project where they forged an agreement with the Homeowners Association of Ayala Alabang. The homeowners agreed not to give alms to children on the streets. Instead, the children were identified and their homes located, so the residents go straight to the children’s houses to give their gifts.

“The government cannot do this alone. All of us – from the public and private sector to citizens – must join hands to offer concrete solutions to permanently discourage the street children and their families from staying in the streets for their own health and safety,” Sec. Soliman emphasized. ###