TWO party-list lawmakers on Saturday urged the investigation of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for “hiding” street children during the recent five-day visit of Pope Francis in the country.
Party-list Rep. Emmi de Jesus of Gabriela said the Commission on Audit (COA) should conduct a special audit on the fund used by the department, while Party-list Rep. Lito Atienza of Buhay wants the House of Representatives to investigate the matter.
Citing a Time magazine report, de Jesus said Social Welfare Secretary Corazon T. Soliman was quoted as saying that about 100 homeless families were, indeed, removed from Roxas Boulevard and taken to the posh Chateau Royal in Batangas under the DSWD’s Modified Conditional Cash-Transfer (CCT) Program.
She said the COA should look into conflicting pronouncements from DSWD officials concerning the way they budgeted and spent budget items for the so-called Modified CCT.
“The DSWD could have done ‘assessments’ on site, why the need for costly accommodation? It’s really hard for taxpayers not to suspect the real reason was to hide the poor out of sight of the pope, especially considering that the pope went to the Philippines to meet the poor,” de Jesus added.
The lawmaker said the COA should make a special audit of the CCT and submit to Congress its findings.
De Jesus cited media reports that Chateau Royale resort in Nasugbu, Batangas, where around seven busloads of homeless enjoyed swimming pool and rock-climbing facilities for four days during the papal entourage, charge up to P24,000 ($544) a day.
She also said the DSWD should come clean on the complaints from urban-poor groups that the DSWD not only uses CCT for street sweeps during the visits of the pope, US President Barack Obama and other dignitaries, but also to discourage membership in antisquatter-colony demolition organizations.
De Jesus expressed fears that the CCT beneficiaries can again be deployed when foreign delegates visit in November for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings.
House investigation
Atienza backed the call for Soliman to face a congressional probe as soon as possible to explain the case of the maltreatment of the street children of Manila.
“I support the call for a congressional probe into this very serious matter, as I myself am calling for one. Secretary Soliman should explain why she committed such an affront to the dignity of these street children and homeless people, who were reportedly whisked away from the streets of Manila to a resort in Batangas,” Atienza said, referring to the sudden disappearance of beggars and street kids during the visit of Francis.
“The problem of extreme poverty, as evidenced by the beggars and street children, is a very real problem that needs to be addressed. This problem should not be swept under the rug. Hiding them does not solve the problem of vagrancy. Now that the pope has left, they are back on the streets, fending for themselves,” he said.
In a news report, Palace Deputy Spokesman Abigail Valte said the DSWD program was meant to “assess” street children and homeless families for the government’s CCT.
She added that the DSWD action was also meant to keep street children safe from the areas that filled with people during the papal visit, from January 15 to 19.