ZAMBOANGA CITY - The City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) is set to open a processing center for medincants in this city.
Ma. Socorro Rojas, CSWDO head, told the Philippine News Agency that they will utilize the building of the Magbasa Kita Foundation of former Senator Santanina Rasul to serve as the processing center.
Rojas said the city government has initially allocated PHP1 million to operate the center. It will be manned by a social worker and three assistants.
She said the center will serve as temporary shelter of mendicants who will be rounded up in the city streets. The center can house 30 people at one time.
She added they will be housed at the center while the CSWDO is in the process of locating their relatives to eventually send them home.
The CSWDO has noted that some of the mendicants loitering downtown come from nearby areas of the region.
Rojas said the city government will stricly implement the anti-mendicancy ordinance to clear the city streets of mendicants.
She urged the public to refrain from giving alms to mendicants to discourage them from loitering downtown. (PNA)
