Sorsogon Governor Francis ‘’Chiz’’ Escudero is calling on authorities to make plans for the inoculation of the homeless and street children who have no access to the life-saving vaccines to ensure that they are also safe and protected against the COVID-19 virus.
Escudero, a Nationalist Peoples’ Coalition (NPC) senatorial bet, noted the presence of these marginalized segments of society continue to increase during the Christmas season, especially in Metro Manila, asking for help from motorists and the commuting public, which make them more vulnerable and at risk of getting infected with the deadly virus.
While the National Capital Region (NCR) has already achieved herd immunity as more than 100 percent of Metro Manila’s target eligible population are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19 per the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Escudero said street dwellers, mostly concentrated in the metropolis, should not be left out of the inoculation program.
“Gusto kong malaman kung ang ating mga kababayan na nabubuhay sa kalsada, kasama na ang mga batang kalye, ay nababakunahan o nabakunahan na (I want to know if street children have been vaccinated or are scheduled to be vaccinated). Hindi sila dapat kalimutan dahil mahalaga rin ang kanilang kalusugan (They should not be forgotten as their health is important),” he pointed out.
“Bagama’t kailangan ng pangmatagalang solusyon upang sila ay maialis sa kalsada (It is needed that they are a part of a long time solution so that they would not be on the streets), we have to make sure that the government is looking after their protection which, of course, includes the much needed COVID-19 vaccines,” he added.
According to available data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), there are some 4.5 million homeless people or living in informal settlements in the country, as of 2018. About thee million of them are in Metro Manila.
Street children, meanwhile, comprise about one to three percent of the children and youth population of the major cities in the Philippines, data from non-government organization hope.org.ph showed. The NCR alone is home to an estimated 30,000 street children out of the 250,000 nationwide who are considered most vulnerable and at risk.
“Sa paglilimos nila sa kalsada ay nalalagay na sila sa panganib, lalo na ngayon na may may banta pa ng coronavirus (Their begging for alms on the streets puts them in harm’s way, particularly the threat of a coronavirus infection),” Escudero said, as he appealed to local government units and the Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19 to look into the plight of the street dwellers
“Dapat isama sa pagbabakuna ang mga batang kalye at mga walang natutuluyan dahil sila rin ay parte at bahagi ng lipunan at kasama sa pagbangon ng buong bansa sa pandemya (Street children and the homeless should be included in the vaccination program as they are part of society and partners in the development of the country),’’ he added.
====30===