Hundreds of sweet dwellers rounded up near ASEAN meeting venue

By Ronron
July 27, 2007

Local government units near the venue of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Ministerial Meeting in Manila have cleared their respective areas of street dwellers in preparation for the arrival of important foreign delegates starting today (Saturday).

Rod Ramos, Officer-in-charge of the Reception and Action Center of the Manila City’s Department of Social Welfare, told Manila Shimbun in a phone interview yesterday that they have begun the clearing operations late last week upon the order of Mayor Alfredo Lim.

“This is really our regular job but we were just told to intensify this time because of the ASEAN Meeting so as not to embarrass our country,” Ramos said.

According to Ramos, their operations were conducted in areas near the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), both of which are located in Pasay City.

Targeted were street dwellers – both minors and adults – along the stretch of Roxas Boulevard near the areas of Malate, Mabini, Ermita, and Luneta Park.

As of yesterday, Ramos said they have 356 street dwellers under their care in their office located near the Central Station of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) - 1. These include minors, families, psychotic adults, and aged people.

The number actually went beyond 500 since last week but those found with relatives in Metro Manila, those who agreed to return to their home provinces, and those that can be referred to different institutions like mental hospitals and care centers were properly released.

Ramos said they will continue their operations even as the ASEAN meeting is ongoing and after that.

In Pasay City, 17 persons were rounded up when the clearing operations began Thursday for the same reason.

Agustin Presentacion of the Pasay City Social Welfare Office said they were informed by the City Tourism and Cultural Office to intensify their operations for the ASEAN event in Manila, which will last until August 2.

Presentacion said the 17 were found along Roxas Boulevard near the CCP area practically doing nothing.

“Most of them just stand by there, even if they are not doing anything,” Presentacion said.

Two of the 17 were solvent (rugby) dependents, while the rest actually had shanties in the city where they were told to return to.

Presentacion said the two solvent dependents are now detained at the Drug Enforcement Unit of the city government.

Meanwhile, in Paranaque City, the city social welfare office said it has not conducted clearing operations against street dwellers even as the ASEAN meeting is about to start.

The holding of the 40th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Manila, which will be participated by 1,500 delegates from 27 countries, is a continuation of the ASEAN Summit held earlier in January of this year in Cebu.

The international event is expected to enhance further the relations of each participating country as various issues such as terrorism, disaster, calamities and migrants’ welfare are expected to be addressed./DMS