Holy Innocents’ Day for street children

Last year, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo released Proclamation No. 1207, declaring December 28, the Annual Feast of the Holy Innocents, as a special day dedicated to street children and other abandoned, orphaned, abused and marginalized youth. It was read at Fort Santiago where I joined officials of DSWD, DepEd, and NAPC. NCCA demonstrated an arts workshop led by National Artist Abdulmari Asia Imao, joined by a team from the Art Association of the Philippines (AAP) led by its president, Mr. Fidel Sarmiento. The proclamation states that the day must be devoted as the starting point of solving our country’s street children problem and make possible a convergence of cooperativism and synergized cultural initiatives for vulnerable groups; and that the focus on their needs, conditions and celebrating their capacity to social transformation and achievement would be inspiring to forge broader community and national support for advancing their welfare.

Tomorrow will be the first time that this feast will be commemorated. I am glad that the NCCA Board through its Executive Director Cecile Guidote-Alvarez, under the leadership of DepEd Usec. Vilma Labrador as its chairperson, has designed a significant program of cultural caregiving to further the cause of our street children at Fort Santiago and at the newly inaugurated Nayong Pilipino at Clark. An interdisciplinary program of free arts education at Fort Santiago led by the Father of Finger Painting, Rafael Pacheco, a Huwarang Pilipino Awardee, assisted by artists-teachers of the Earthsavers DREAMS Academy will be conducted in Nayong Pilipino. An indigenous heritage workshop will also be held by Kalinga, Ifugao, Maranao leaders and Baguio-based artists led by Benhur Villanueva.

The important thing about any feast is how it is celebrated. President Macapagal-Arroyo declared December 28 as a special day for the street children. Accordingly, this special day is now energizing programs dedicated to street kids. The modeling of a special caregiving program provides an excellent modeling of projects for the different cities in Metro Manila to have their own. This provides an excellent modeling of programs in Metro Manila to have a unified program.

We also congratulate Sining Gising organized by NCCA and DepEd for focusing in their Christmas TV special performances from out-of-school youth from Baseco, Smokey Mountain and Nayon ng Kabataan of DSWD, including for the first time, offenders of the Bilibid that proves the possibility of contrition, conversion, transformation and acceptance.

I have noticed that there are some cities that have embarked on their own “beautification” programs to spruce up their surroundings. So much time, effort and money have been spent putting up fancy and expensive street lamps, tiling of sidewalks, and other projects for aesthetic purposes. While it is true that these may have other purposes other than aesthetic, wouldn’t it be nicer if at least part of the money being spent on these projects can be set aside to address the needs of our street children? The money can be spent to put up a halfway house in each city where the children can be sheltered and fed until the time when they are able to set out on their own.

Starving children are victims and they should get top priority. Local government units must know where they are and help. However, we cannot leave everything to the government. We have an obligation to help out too. We can coordinate with our local barangays on how we can give contributions and assist the poor. The bayanihan spirit can be put to work. Commitment and compassion is what it takes.