(Ni DANG SAMSON-GARCIA)

NAIS ni Senador Leila de Lima na magsagawa ng imbestigasyon ang Senado hinggil sa dumaraming pamilya at batang naninirahan sa kalsada upang matukoy ang mga dapat gawin ng gobyerno upang masolusyunan ang pamamalimos sa kalsada.

Sa kanyang Senate Resolution (SR) No. 140, nais ni De Lima na rebisahin ang short- and long-term social welfare interventions ng gobyerno para sa mga street children at kanilang pamilya.

“Their number has been on an increasing trend in recent years, and creating a pressing need to generate an up-to-date overview of the situation of street children to avert the effects of inadequate data to the government’s strategy that seek to address their situation and problems,” saad ni De Lima.

Sa kasalukuyan, nasa 250,000 ang street children sa Pilipinas batay sa datos ng Department of Social Welfare and De-velopment (DSWD) habang sa ibang impormasyon pumalo na ito sa mahigit isang milyon.

Sa ulat ng global network Consortium for Street Children, expose ang mga street children sa domestic violence, recruit-ment sa mga gangs, addiction sa iligal na droga at maging sa mental health issues.

Inaasahan din ang pagtaas pa ng bilang ng mga street families at children, lalo na ang mga galing lalawigan dahil sa Christmas season.

“As we enter the Christmas season, there is an anticipated increase in homeless kids or street children and those belong-ing to Indigenous Peoples with their children in metro centers such as the National Capital Region – a recurring case which the government must proactively address,” diin ni de Lima.

“It is imperative to look into the state of social welfare interventions, the residential, center-based and community-based programs, and the long-term plan of government for street children and their families which demand review and careful consideration,” dagdag nito.