DSWD says Badjao beggars in NCR earn as much as P5k a day
BADJAO MENDICANTS – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) discovered that Badjao beggars in Metro Manila earn up to P5,000 per day out of begging for alms.
According to Social Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo, they found out about this when they interviewed the Badjao people they rescued recently.
In a press briefing on November 23, Tulfo said: “Mayroon silang inuupahan diyan, na parang bahay sa Tondo, parang board and lodging… and we found out base sa social worker namin sa interview, kumikita sila ng parang 5,000 pesos per day.”
Last week, the DSWD conducted rescue operations, rescuing approximately a hundred Badjaos.
Aside from food and hygiene kits, each Badjao who was rescued received P10,000 in aid which they can use to start their own business. He said: “So what I did was, sabi ko, bigyan na lang ng pangkabuhayan nila … kinausap na namin yung provincial welfare office doon sa Jolo, Sulu, sila na ang bahala magdistribute sa tao, kasama ang social welfare namin.”
Tulfo earlier stated that what the agency used to do was incorrect because it did not solve the problem of the Badjaos.
He went on to say that the natives are moving to Manila because they have nothing to eat and no way to make a living in their province. He said: “The problem is, they don’t have anything to eat in that area because they have no livelihood, so they return to Metro Manila and other big cities to beg for alms.”
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