It's a common thing to see beggars in the streets. They are anywhere - street corners, abandoned buildings, thoroughfares - begging for money most of the time, or for food (if that is what they need at the time they approached you). But a beggar inside McDonald's, SM Food Court, or Greenwich? The first time I learned about these beggars was when Kay went home (she was still in high school then) one time telling us that young boys, very dirty and smelly, entered McDonald's and without asking permission grabbed her classmate's half-eaten food. Of course, they were all shocked and told a service crew what happened. The boys were driven away and the food was replaced. Daryl was not also spared of this experience.
Another instance was when we were waiting for the pizza to come. We were inside Greenwich that time. An elderly woman dressed simply but tidy enough not to mistake her as a mendicant approached us and asked if we can give money because she had not yet eaten her lunch (it was already 4 PM). Papsie got really annoyed and told her to get lost. There was a little argument between us. I told him he could have just given her a few coins. He got more infuriated and replied that those people should not be in those places in the first place, that they should not be allowed to enter establishments and do the begging there. For him, these people are taking advantage of other peoples' benevolence.
Yesterday, while eating at the food lane beside the grocery store, a little boy approached us and begged for money because (as usual) he has not eaten yet. This time, Papsie, lightheartedly told the boy if he wants to go with us and he will feed him with lots of food in our house. The boy shook his head and left to beg from another customer. The same issue of why these little boys are allowed to do their thing in these extablishments again surfaced. "Dumarami na sila," Papsie remarked.
I wonder if the Mendicancy Law of 1978 or PD No. 1563 is still in effect. The provisions of this law must be reviewed and implemented effectively.
I had similar experience once when I was at Pinas only that it did not happen in any of the malls. It was the Christmas season and I could see with my own eyes that there were so many beggars on the street especially children.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was sitting at the Burger Machine, a few of them approached me meekly and started singing Christmas songs. I pitied them and thus gave them a few coins and their faces lit up instantaneously. But anyway, as long as they can buy some food for themselves, it's good enough.
Even in my country, we experience poverty and more than often, beggars do come begging for money. But the people chase them away most of the time ...
Naalala ko tuloy yung 20 pesos na binigay ko sa kumatok sa bahay namin nung friday, wala akong barya, mag isa lang ako... haaaayyy....
ReplyDeletePag sa kalye di ako nagbibigay, pagsabahay kumatok nagbibigay ako. Pag nagtitinda ng sampaguita yung bata, nagbibigay ako ng five or ten tapos di ko na kinukuha yung sampaguita (aanuhin ko naman yun?), pagnagtitinda ng gulay yung bata bumibili ako kahit di pa namin kelangan.
ayaw ko lang sa mga batang yagit yung nangangalabit. Nursing student pa man din ako kaya kung ano anong naiisip ko (basta pag nurse ka o doktor iba yung feeling ng touch na yun. alam mo may naiwan sayo, kelangan ng handwashing immediately).
my rule is, never give them money, just food. you don't know where they'd bring the money. but begging inside establishments might be going too far.
ReplyDeleteonce, there was this old woman who said she hadn't eaten anything yet for that day. my heart went out to her. since we were already in front of Wendy's, I asked her to come in with me so I could buy her some food. But she told me that that would be bad for her because fastfoods have too much cholesterol. She'd rather that I give her money so she could buy fish. So i gave her P20. Then she retorted, "son, this won't even be enough to buy a kilo of fish, give me some more!" i politely said no and walked away.
we do give alms sometimes, kyels. but begging inside establishments? you wake up one day and you'll find them inside urbane establishments already if given the chance. how i wish they get to succeed easing their way inside an establishment with the president doing her speech inside.
ReplyDeletedi rin kami nagbibigay sa mga kumakatok sa pinto, mon, tapos mag-aabot ng sulat ha ha ha?
see how they are taking advantage of people showing them kindness, slim whale? you give a peso to a young kid and a swarm will pest you. sometimes one cannot help be annoyed. these people actually must be taught how to fish and not give them fish all the time. :-)
It really a tough call Bing but I think the essence of the law lies on the issue of beggars haggling or annoying people to part with their money. There should be places where beggars ought to ply their trade . People must be allowed to continue about with their normal activities without the stress of being confronted by panhandlers. Fact is, not all beggars are destitute. A lot of them are professionals who make money through panhandling. This is another issue that challenges the implementors of the law.
ReplyDeleteI really prefer to give food than money because you know where it's going if you give money to this beggars.
ReplyDeleteI never experienced naman na hinindian ang food na binigay ko kasi mas gusto ang pera. But I know na kung sila masusunod, pera ang gusto nila. I don't know if this problem will ever be solved in our country. So sad.
I think I just encountered one woman who were tidy enough not to be called a beggar the other day. She spoke to me in straighforward fashion, how she needed some money because her husband had no work recently. Her children was with her, also not in so begarry-look. I was surprised a little bit by the sight of a unlikely begar that I just fished in for a five-peso coin and handed it to her. Most of the time, I wouldn't have no time to really put thought of whether they are of nuisance or not but I am sure, they shouldn't be inside fastfoods and malls for that would create such public disorder and disturb the smooth flow of human daily activity or routine.
ReplyDeletethat is why the law must be reviewed, bw. i think it should also provide where these mendicants should be allowed to do their thing. and if they are professionals, then Papsie must be right. the squatters, he also said, are professional ones. begging is truly becoming a profession for
ReplyDeletesome.
how are you, bw?
gutom lang talaga siguro ang mga lumalapit sa 'yo, verns. LOL to remedy this problem is like thinking ways to stop prostitution. poverty is an old story that has no ending.
major tom, they cause more stress than anything. the thing is, even if they just silently beg, it can really affect people. i, for one, becomes uneasy when they're around.
Your husband is right: they're are multiplying -- by the day, I believe.
ReplyDeleteWhen I went to the Philippines for a vacation, I encountered so many beggars in malls (one old woman even specified an amount -- PHP300 -- after telling a story that she was left behind by her companions and had no money whatsoever to go home...in Batangas), in restaurants, in buses and jeepneys (kids claiming they're from Basilan and stuck in Metro Manila), and, of course, in the streets (knocking on the car window incessantly). One time, after buying an iced mocha drink at Starbucks at Shangri-La Edsa Plaza Mall, a girl just took it out of my hand.
I have a heart for the poor. But I must admit this mutiplication of child and adult beggars in the metropolis somehow bothers me.
Oops, excuse the typo errors in my previous comment.
ReplyDeleteno problem, jayred. :-D it's really funny sometimes that you feel pity then you suddenly feel annoyed. sometimes they abuse talaga. mabigat din ang nalalaman ng mga professionals na 'to ha ha
ReplyDeleteang style naman dito, they will wait sa sidewalk and then kapag red light na lalakad na sila with a placard of plea. mukhang malakas naman yung katawan. tamad lang talaga. i don't give not because i don't want to share. i don't give because i don't want to tolerate their actions. sa philippines siguro mainitindihan ko pa kasi mahirap kumuha ng trabaho dyan kahit odd jobs. eh dito marami namang odd jobs. at tsaka hindi sila kids. mga middle-aged or early 30s.
ReplyDeleteMaraming beggars dyan hawak ng sindikato. I don't give money to them anymore.
ReplyDeleteThere is actually a law against mendicancy in effect for many years now. But, like any other law in good old Pinas, walang nag-e enforce. Like, we have laws against squatting and yet you see a whole colony of them on every available piece of unattended property. And you can't evict them because most of them are protected by some politician...
ReplyDeletehi, evi. i think it's enough reason not to tolerate these panhandlers. what could be more sensible than that?
ReplyDeletenabalitaan ko rin ang tungkol sa mga sindikato, nico.
depressing, di ba, single?