City to Strengthen Anti-Mendicancy Law

The Cebu City government is set to strengthen its campaign against street beggars by adding more teeth to its policies.

Rene Obra, Cebu Anti-Mendicancy Commission board of director, said that they are doing their task to ferret out all beggars along sidewalks of Cebu City.

During last Friday’s ‘Tapok-Tapok’ Media Forum hosted by the Publishers Association of the Philippines, Inc. (PAPI)-Cebu Chapter at the Cebu Business Hotel ,Obra said their are currently looking for a space to serve as detention center for arrested persons. The anti-mendicancy law provides that any person who, without definite reasons, begs anywhere and anytime is subject to penalties.

The anti-mendicancy task force is clearing the sidewalks from all beggars like what the city government has done to the sidewalk vendors, said Obra.

Obra, who failed to give exact figure as to how many mendicants they have detained so far, said that aside from detention, the city government also needs more budget for the food.

Obra, also a psychologist, said that food is main reason why these people beg.

He said he cannot blame them (beggars) knowing the fact that their physical disabilities such as blindness, old age and other physical deformities left them behind from anybody who is in a normal capacity of personality. He described them as persons with disabilities (PWD).

Obra also said that they have also arrested some cash-givers who were caught in the act of giving spare coins to beggars as prohibited by law.

The anti-mendicancy task force are continuing their monitoring against violators, Obra said.

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