Taskforce steps up Badjao monitoring ahead of holidays, Dinagyang Festival

Badjaos can be seen traipsing the streets of Iloilo City asking for alms from motorists as the holiday season nears. AJ PALCULLO/PN
Badjaos can be seen traipsing the streets of Iloilo City asking for alms from motorists as the holiday season nears. AJ PALCULLO/PN

BY MA. THERESA LADIAO

ILOILO City – The Iloilo City Task Force Badjao has intensified its monitoring and enforcement efforts to address the presence of Badjao groups as the holiday season and the 2025 Dinagyang Festival draw near.

The monitoring is in line with the city’s strict enforcement of the Anti-Mendicancy Ordinance, aiming to maintain order and cleanliness in public spaces.

Badjaos can be seen traipsing the streets asking for alms from motorists, unmindful of their safety. They get into jeepneys and beg from the passengers. Some have envelopes with solicitation notes.

Taskforce head Hector Alejano counts on the cooperation and assistance of barangay officials.

“They have a significant part in ensuring the success of this initiative. Their support helps us enforce the ordinance effectively,” Alejano said.

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 Mindanao.

Because of the conflict between Muslim separatists and government troops and the lack of livelihood opportunities, many Badjaos leave Mindanao.

Mendicant Badjaos have been frequenting Western Visayas, particularly the cities of Iloilo and Bacolodo, for years and they have been routinely rounded up and sent back to their home provinces.

Last year, the city government of Iloilo spent over half a million pesos on rescue and repatriation efforts for Badjao individuals, only for many to return after a few months.

“The persistent return of the Badjaos to the city remains a challenge despite the resources allocated for their repatriation,” Alejano said.

He described the seasonal influx of Badjao and Ati individuals as problematic, particularly during the holidays, citing violations of the Anti-Mendicancy Ordinance .

Giving and begging alms are punishable under City Regulation Ordinance 2002-400.

The ordinance provides that mendicants “caught begging are liable to fines of P500, imprisonment of not more than a year or both fine and imprisonment.”

Giving alms to beggars is also punishable by a fine of P500 or community service.

Also, any person, syndicate, or group who uses and exploits minors, disabled and infirm people in the mendicancy trade faces a P2,000 fine and up to two months in prison.

“Their (Badjao) presence disrupts the image we aim to project. We don’t want Iloilo City to be labeled as the ‘City of Badjao.’ Continuous monitoring ensures their limited presence, especially now during the ‘ber months,” Alejano said.

This year, the taskforce has adopted a direct approach, transporting Badjao individuals back to their provinces, with fares covered by the city government. However, Alejano admitted that nighttime monitoring remains a challenge due to insufficient funds for additional personnel to ensure round-the-clock surveillance.

The recently launched “Revitalizing Reach-Out and Intensifying Programs” by the City Social Welfare and Development Office is expected to enhance the city’s efforts. Alejano expressed optimism that the program would streamline the rescue and repatriation process, ensuring compliance with the law while safeguarding the welfare of the Badjaos./PN

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