ILOILO City – This southern metropolis is peaceful and its people are kind and gentle. These are what make it attractive to Badjaos, according to the Public Safety and Transportation Management Office (PSTMO) of the city government.
But on July 24 some 70 Badjaos who managed to sneak back to the city some seven months after they were driven away were again rounded up and deported to Mindanao.
“They told us it was chaotic from where they came from. Here they found peace and nobody’s bothering them,” said PSTMO chief Jeck Conlu.
The Badjaos, widely known as “sea gypsies”, are an ethnic group scattered along the coastal areas of Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, Basilan and some coastal municipalities of Zamboanga del Sur in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Conlu’s office was tasked to round up Badjao mendicants in coordination with the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO).
Because of the conflict between Muslim separatists and government troops and the lack of livelihood opportunities, many Badjaos left Mindanao, said Conlu.
“They also found the Ilonggos generous,” he added.
PSTMO personnel found the Badjaos sheltered under a bridge in Barangay Buhang, Jaro district.
“Eighty percent” of them were the Badjaos that PSTMO deported in November last year, said Conlu.
As of July 26, the PSTMO counted between 10 to 15 Badjaos left in Iloilo City.
One of them was pregnant, said Conlu.
The CSWDO and City Health Office would assess the Badjao woman’s condition.
“If the CSWDO and City Health Office say she is okay to travel, we would send them home,” said Conlu.
On Nov. 10, 2017 Mayor Jose Espinosa III ordered the PSTMO to round up the roaming Badjaos and ship them back to Mindanao.
“Kun mangayo-ngayo sila nagapamilit pa kag nagapamutong, kalaw-ay gid (They force people to give them alms, it’s disgusting),” said Espinosa who admitted that regulating the entry of Badjao beggars to the city would be difficult.
Begging and giving alms to beggars are punishable under City Regulation Ordinance 2002-400.
Mendicants are liable to fines of P500, imprisonment of not more than a year, or both fine and imprisonment. On the other hand, giving to beggars is punishable by a fine of P500 or community service.
“They also defecate anywhere. Public health and sanitation are being compromised,” said Espinosa.
In 2005 during the administration of then mayor Mansueto Malabor, the city government created a task force to help the Badjaos return to Mindanao.
The Badjaos, however, kept on coming back to Iloilo City./PN
