By BOY RYAN B. ZABAL
KALIBO, Aklan — Is a syndicate behind the reported proliferation of Badjaos in this capital town?
The municipal government here had created Task Force Badjao to regulate the presence and activities of the nomadic indigenous group.
The task force started the “cleanup” of the town’s streets last week.
What the task force had discovered was alarming: certain individuals were allegedly using Badjaos as beggars to draw money from the public.
“There are people who assign them to areas in the town where they can beg for alms,” a member of the task force revealed. “Every day, the Badjaos can turn over to their handlers from P3,000 to P6,000.”
The task force has not yet identified any person who could be handling the Badjaos.
During Task Force Badjao’s meeting last week, it was disclosed that some of the Badjaos have already left town.
“Most of them have gradually left, although a few have remained,” the task force member said.
The Office of the Mayor had received complaints about the misbehavior of Badjaos, including spitting on and pinching motorists while begging for alms.
This prompted Mayor William Lachica to issue an executive order creating Task Force Badjao.
The task force shall hold dialogues and consultations with Badjao leaders and to coordinate with government agencies to address any problem related to the indigenous group.
Badjaos or “sea dwellers” were natives of Mindanao. Many of them were forced to go to urban areas to escape insurgency and sea pirates in their homeland.
The Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and the local police have said the number of Badjaos here has grown.
Most of them sleep on cardboard boxes at the busy corners of Roxas Avenue and Luis Barrios and Goding Ramos streets.
Some spend their nights cooking along the sidewalks or roaming around town with their children to beg for alms. (Aklan Forum Journal/PN)
