BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – A total of 134 mendicant Badjaos in Negros Occidental were rounded up and shipped back to Jolo, Sulu over the weekend.
Dr. Zeaphard Caelian, head of the Provincial Incident Management Team (PIMT), said the group was composed of 96 Badjaos from Victorias City and another 38 from Sagay City.
Also called “sea gypsies,” these Badjaos first proceeded to Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental via two buses and eight vans.
Upon arrival in Dumaguete, they boarded the ship M/V St. Michael the Archangel of 2GO Travel, which would bring them to Zamboanga City.
They would then be picked up by their respective local government units (LGUs) from Basilan and Sulu.
According to Caelian, prior to leaving Negros Occidental, the Badjaos underwent swabbing for possible coronavirus disease 2019 infections.
Their meals, as well as cash aid were given by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and transport were provided by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD).
The return of the Badjaos to Sulu was facilitated by the city governments of Victorias and Sagay, PIMT, Office of Civil Defense Region 6, and DSWD.
In early October, 73 Badjaos in Bacolod City were sent home to Sulu to prevent them from becoming victims or carriers of COVID-19 as they roamed and begged around the city.
Their return to Mindanao was almost aborted due to the challenges posed by the pandemic as well as the Jolo bombings on the same month./PN
