THE Cagayan de Oro City Government is reminding village officials of their role in addressing the problem on the increasing number of street kids in the city.
City Social Welfare and Development (CSWD) chief teddy Sabuga-a said the city has already formulated Operation Street Children Atong Responsibilidad (Oscar) in an effort to strengthen mechanisms addressing the problem on the proliferation of street kids.
“The barangay (village) should come up ordinances on how to protect children in their area. Of course, if there is a street kid in your area, it should be practical and it’s your obligation to confront the child,” he said.
“The role of BCPCs (Barangay Councils for the Protection of Children) is mainly documenting and identifying the areas where the number of street kids is high, then report and coordinate to us, but they have to understand that BCPCs are authorized to call the attention of the child, like for example, if you caught them sniffing illegal substances,” Sabuga-a said.
A memorandum signed by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) City Director Engineer Jane Docallos orders villages to mobilize each of their BCPC to help address the street kids’ problem in the city.
“Undeniably, the role of the barangays and their BCPC is very crucial, they being in the frontline. Barangays are therefore enjoined to mobilize the respective reach-out teams composed of BCPC focal person/violence against women desk officer and barangay tanods,” she said.
Docallos cited the areas in Divisoria Park, Westbound and Eastbound terminals, Cogon and Carmen markets, Provincial Capitol vicinity where presence of street kids have been increasing.
With the creation of BCPC in villages, the team will be authorized to conduct reach-out operations in each of their area of responsibility.
The city DILG office said reach-out operations will only be allowed if the child is begging, selling, or loitering in major thoroughfares or highways, if the child is under the influence of solvents or other illegal substances, and if the child adopts the streets, parks, markets, premises of malls or establishments or any public places as their home.
When conducting operations, the city DILG stated that the operating team will explain to the child his right to be protected and the reasons of reaching him or her out from the streets.
Also, the team should not apply force in the operation, and only speak with the child about the intention.
“If the child runs away from the team, the latter shall let him or her go if he or she will go with the team, he or she shall be assisted in boarding the vehicle. No force shall be exerted,” the guidelines stated.
The BCPC focal person or the violence against women and children (VAWC) desk officer should also conduct preliminary interview for the purpose of profiling to identify future interventions.
It can be recalled that the police and CSWD rescued about 130 families and 90 children who made the streets and areas under the bridges their home last May 5.
The CSWD recorded 87 Badjao families from Zamboanga, 23 families from Iligan, three families from Sulu, one family from Surigao, 16 informal settler families in Cagayan de Oro, and 90 street children roaming around the city.
Sabuga-a said there will be more reach out operations, however, they are now focused on information dissemination and making families understand, particularly parents, on their responsibilities.
He said the recently-crafted Parental Responsibility Code will also help discipline parents and hopefully end this problem.
