Amid continuous allegations that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) cleared out street dwellers for the recently concluded Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Manila, Secretary Corazon 鈥淒inky鈥� Soliman has maintained that they are not hiding homeless people as poverty itself cannot be cloaked.
鈥淎gain, I say, we cannot hide poverty. And just to give you the numbers: Only 77 families were reached out [to] by the city of Manila [on] the days [prior the Apec summit]鈥攁 week before,鈥� an emotional Soliman told reporters during the 鈥淎raw ng Kabataan鈥� event of DSWD in Manila on Saturday.
READ: Dinky Soliman: We don鈥檛 hide kids, poor people |
Soliman and DSWD came under fire when 100 homeless families were brought in a resort in Batangas during the visit of Pope Francis in January, supposedly to attend a seminar. But the social welfare chief maintained that most of the families have been provided with assistance, including shelter and employment opportunities.
鈥淛ust to let you know, we had 100 families that we have been giving orientation during the visit of the Pope. We were accused of hiding. [Those] 100 families, 75 of them already have houses, have jobs, and their children are going to school and health clinics. Half decided to [go] back to the province and the other half went back to their resettlement houses and we area providing livelihood assistance,鈥� she said.
Soliman reiterated that DSWD did not take homeless families away from the streets just because of an international event being held in the country, but because the department wanted to protect them.
鈥淭uluy-tuloy po ang pakikipag-ugnayan, mandato po ng lokal na pamahalaan na siguraduhin na ang mga bata, mga pamilya ay kanilang napo-proteksyunan, at hindi po pagpoprotekta ang pananatili nila sa kalsada鈥� Hindi po sila kinukuha dahil lang may Apec. 鈥榊ung sinabing nagbalikan na daw po ang mga bata at pamilya,鈥� Soliman said.
(Coordination is continuous, it is the local government鈥檚 mandate to ensure that the children and the families are protected and letting them roam the streets does not protect them鈥� They are not being rounded up just because of the Apec summit.)
鈥淭his is not a one-off effort. This has been going on since 2013. And since 2013, we have been providing options to those living on the streets through the conditional cash transfer program. As one of them said to me, 鈥楳a鈥檃m, hindi mo lang ako nilayo sa kalsada, nilayo mo rin ako sa kulungan (you are not just getting them off the streets, you are also keeping them out of prison).鈥� That鈥檚 the kind of work that we do. This is not one-off. This is not because we have visitors. It鈥檚 because it鈥檚 the right of every Filipino to be assisted,鈥� she added.
Noting that DSWD is just doing its job regardless of timing, Soliman said she is leaving up critics who don鈥檛 offer constructive and well-informed opinions to the Lord.
鈥溾�榊ung pambabatikos nga na tuwing may national event, inaakusahan kaming itinatago namin ang mga bata. Pero kapag ginagawa naman namin ito na walang national event, hindi kami kinikibo. Ibig sabihin ko, ang akin na lang pagtingin, makikinig ako kung totoong meron kaming maling ginawa aking wawastuhin. 鈥榊ung mga kritikong para maging nega lamang, pinapasa-Diyos ko na lang 鈥榶un,鈥� she said.
(We are criticized every time there is a national event, we are being accused of hiding the street children. But when we do this even if there is no national event, we are not noticed. In my point of view, I would listen [to the criticisms] and if we really do have shortcomings, I would correct them. The critics who just spread negativity, I just leave [their fate] up to the Lord.) CDG