Cebu city skywalks, Margot: Removing dwellers difficult

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City’s Task Force for Street Children (CCTFSC) is continuing its efforts in solving the issue of street dwellers, especially those who are staying in the skywalks.

CCTFSC chairperson Councilor Margarita “Margot” Osmeña told The FREEMAN that they keep on conducting rescue operations even if the rescued street dwellers would eventually go back to the streets.

“It seems that these people will not just higda there but they will cook, hang their clothes murag gihimo na nila og residence ba, your heart will go out for them but what do we do? Basta we will never stop on trying until we can find a way,” she said.

The city has been doing rescue operations for 30 years already and they even used many methods on how to address this matter but they can still see street dwellers in the city.

These homeless families stay in the different streets of the city and even on the skywalks along Fuente Osmeña, Mango Avenue and Osmeña Boulevard.

The rescue operation for street children was a coordinated effort of the city government, non-government organizations, social workers and Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS) and the police’s women’s and children’s desk.

The rescued street children will be sheltered in Parian drop-in center.

“In the beginning, many of them will stay, pero hinay-hinay mawala nasad because limited ang center nato.  The center would only accommodate the children, not the whole family, for it is intended for the children raman diba,” Osmeña added.

Meanwhile, she was in favor of the removal of the skywalks’ roofs after knowing that the public will no longer use the facility for fear of the presence of homeless individuals in the area.

“I’m for it, you know why? If you look at the other skywalks, (particularly) the one in Lapu-Lapu, wala , there are no people staying there.  First of all, many people do not use skywalks because those people, they’re there.  We have more snatching.  And number two, if it’s raining the people will bring umbrellas naman,” Osmeña said.

But she said, if the removal of roofs of skywalks will be implemented in the near future, the street dwellers would find another area in the city where they can stay.

With this possibility, she said, the concerned offices to address street dwellers will look for another method to solve it, which made her believe that it is not easy to handle this matter.

To recall, DSWS head Lea Japson, a former councilor, recommended for the removal of the structures’ roof to get rid of homeless individuals. (FREEMAN)