Manila social workers rescue street dwellers amid ‘Ambo’

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MANILA – The Manila Department of Social Welfare (MDSW) on Friday said it is continuously reaching out and rescuing homeless and street dwellers amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic and the onslaught of Typhoon Ambo.

Manila Public Information Office chief Julius Leonen said the city has facilities for rescued street dwellers.

“Mayroon po tayong mga facilities tulad ng (we have facilities like) Fugoso Sports Complex along Delpan as well as San Andres Sports Complex. These facilities have modular tents po that the city government can provide to street dwellers po,” Leonen said in an interview.

He added that the modular tents can be used to maintain physical distancing among street dwellers staying in these facilities, as part of the anti-Covid-19 precautionary measures.

Aside from the facilities, he added that the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) may also assign other areas as evacuation sites for those who may be affected by the typhoon.

These are Rosauro Almario Elementary School, the Baseco Evacuation Center, both in Tondo, and the Rasac Covered Court in Sta. Cruz, Manila.

“Inihahanda naman po mga meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner, and other material assistance po ang pino-provide ng MDSW sa mga inaalagaan nitong mga street dwellers and evacuees (Meals like breakfast, lunch and dinner, and other material assistance are being provided by the MDSW to the street dwellers and evacuees in the facilities),” Leonen said.

Metro Manila is currently under tropical cyclone warning signal No. 2 due to ‘Ambo’.

Meanwhile, the Manila city government has been regularly declogging and cleaning waterways in the past few days.

This is to curb potential flooding along major thoroughfares and inner the streets of Manila in the onset of the rainy season.

Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso, in his regular city address Thursday evening, said they are continuing their cleaning efforts.

“Tuloy tuloy po ang paghahanda natin sa paparating na tag ulan kahit po tayo ay nasa Covid-19 crisis, pinipilit po natin na linisin ang mga imburnal, kalsada at ng ating mga nagbabarang creek (We are continuously preparing for the coming rainy season even if we are in the middle of the Covid-19 crisis, we are trying to clean our drainage, roads and clogged creeks).”

Among those operated by the Department of Public Services Estero Rangers are the Estero de Magdalena in Binondo and the Estero de Bambang.

Domagoso again called on the people to properly dispose of their garbage.

“Mga kababayan naman, wag nyo naman itapon yung basura nyo sa creek. Lagay nyo lang sa tamang sisidlan. Konting ingat lang po. Konting disiplina. (To our constituents, please, do not throw your garbage in our creeks. Please put them in proper garbage bins. Have a little discipline please),” Domagoso said.