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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Visayas devider DSWD helps grandpa nabbed by Cebu anti-mendicancy office

DSWD helps grandpa nabbed by Cebu anti-mendicancy office

Published May 18, 2026 04:44 pm
The Department of Social Welfare and Development's (DSWD) Pag-abot Program has provided initial intervention to the elderly man in Cebu City who recently went viral after being arrested for playing his harmonica on the streets to buy food for his hungry grandchild.
The DSWD Field Office-Central Visayas (FO-7) Pag-abot Team visited 68-year-old Ireneo Selma Vidal to assess his living conditions and to find out all appropriate interventions the program could extend.
According to reports, the Cebu grandfather was apprehended by the Cebu City Anti-Mendicancy Office (CCAMO) last May 7.
"We immediately dispatched our personnel to assist Tatay Ireneo after learning about his situation so we can ensure that he and his grandchildren will have something to eat without him resorting to the streets," DSWD spokesperson Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said in a news release on Monday.
Based on assessment and careful evaluation, Tatay Ireneo is eligible for support under the Pag-abot Comprehensive Social Package, and received P10,000 financial aid as initial assistance.
"Sa edad ni Tatay Ireneo, dapat din ay nasa bahay nalang siya at nagpapahinga, dahil hindi natin alam ano ang maaaring mangyari sa kanya sa kalsada – lalo na't napakainit ng panahon (At his age, Tatay ireneo should just be at home resting because we don’t know what will happen to him on the streets, especially with the hot weather)," Dumlao said.
The DSWD found that Tatay Ireneo has spent the last year and a half relying on the small donations of passersby who listen to him play the “selendron” or harmonica to sustain his daily needs.
The grandfather has also been enduring a difficult living arrangement in a house owned by the family of his daughter's estranged partner.
Despite his age, the DSWD said, Tatay Ireneo took it upon himself to provide for his daily needs, as well as those of his three-year-old grandchild and other grandkids who frequently come and go to his room.
"It is heartbreaking to see a grandparent risk his life on the streets just to feed his grandchild, which is why we are preparing long-term interventions to keep him safe," the DSWD spokesperson pointed out.
The DSWD implements the Pag-Abot Program to address the needs of families and individuals in street situations (FISS) in line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for the Department to assist the most vulnerable Filipino sectors.

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