KOKO: PROHIBIT CHILDREN FROM BEGGING, CAROLING IN STREETS

Senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, PDP Laban President, today urged the Department of Social Welfare and Development and local government units to prohibit children from begging and caroling in the streets to prevent deaths and accidents.

"Street children are forced by dire economic circumstances to beg or go caroling in the streets just so they can survive. We should exert every effort to keep them out of harm's way," Pimentel said.

"Their lives are just as precious and important as ours," he added.

Pimentel said the DSWD and LGUs should take the appropriate steps to spare children "who are already economically hard up from taking grave risks out in the streets where they could be run over by speeding vehicles or meet some other unfortunate accident."

According to the senator from Mindanao, "We really should do something to protect our children from harm. The street children need to be cared for by the government and civic groups so they can live normal lives and go to school where they properly belong at this stage in their lives."

Pimentel said the DSWD and LGUs should field teams that would help street children especially during the Christmas season "when they need to be shown more compassion and given more attention by the government, humanitarian groups and civic-minded individuals so they do not feel left out by mainstream society."