RESTITUTO Macuto, regional director of Department of Social Welfare and Development in Eastern Visayas, said Friday, June 29, that they continue to assess the case of a homeless family who found a temporary shelter inside the public school in Dagami, Leyte.
He said the abandoned family -- the mother and her five children -- is still at the Hinabuyan Elementary School in the said town.
The lot for house construction and laborers are available but they are still waiting for the arrival of the housing materials, Macuto said.
"The children are still in school, while they are still waiting for the medical result of the PWD (person with disability)," he added.
The case of the abandoned children was first reported on Facebook by the Hinabuyan Elementary School's teaching staff and their school head, Geraldine Nical, on June 14 after learning that one of their Grade III pupils named Alexis has to bring his four-year-old sickly brother to the classroom because they don't have a place to go.
During that time, the school also discovered that the children were left by their father, while their mother was in Manila to look for a job.
After learning about their situation, the school tried to raise extra money to buy food and other needs of the children and allowed them to sleep inside the school.
The post went viral that some concerned citizens also contacted the mother in Manila and sent money for her fare.
Last week, the mother, accompanied by the Jessica Soho team of GMA7 television channel, was reunited with his children.
"Someone donated a lot for the house. The initial medical needs of the children were provided by the Jessica Soho team. The local government of Dagami and the DSWD will provide further medical assistance, while the mother will be assessed for possible provision of livelihood assistance," said Macuto, based on the report of Jenny Avila of Dagami municipal social welfare and development office who closely monitored the case.
The dramatic story of Alexis was aired at GMA7's Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho (One at Heart, Jessica Soho).
Phoebe Cortes, the teacher who uploaded Alexis' photo and story on Facebook, expressed her thanks to all the people "who made these things possible for Alexis and his family."
"It's for the children, so they won't suffer anymore," Cortes said in an interview. (VoxPop Philippines)