A little of everything and something: Davao

Friends in Davao, planning to get your NBI Clearance?

3/18/2013 10:01:00 PM

If you ever thought of getting your NBI Clearance, I recommend you go to NBI Tagum. Why? First, it's faster to process the clearance there. And second, it's really faster. Hahaha.

I know it's quite weird that someone from Davao would go all the way to another city for that but I guarantee you, it's worth traveling for.

Who among you experienced waking up early in the morning (like about 4am) to go and line up at NBI in JP Laurel Avenue? Lining up and waiting for hours and hours just for you have the clearance. Long hours of waiting, warm weather, crowded waiting area...

I tell you. You wake up at 8am, take a Metro Shuttle coaster at Abreeza terminal (P120 regular fare, P100 discounted). Travel time is 1-1.5 hours.

Metro Shuttle Tickets (got the students' price on the way back. haha)

The NBI office is just along the National Highway so you could just tell the driver. When you get there, just follow the steps:

Step 1: Present 1 valid ID for you to get a form, fill it out and have it validated back at Step 1. The person in-charge will give you a priority number to be called in Step 2.

Step 2: Cashier. You will pay the same amount you pay here in Davao. The only thing I can recall is for Local Employment P105, travel abroad and for visa is P115. After paying, wait for your name to be called for Step 3.

Step 3: Validate the information you wrote in your form, This is to ensure that they were able to encode your information with the correct spelling and details.

Step 4: Biometrics. The person in-charge will ask for your fingerprints for their record. I like their method now since it's not the messy type compared to the stick-your-finger-in-the-stamp pad method.

Step 5: Picture taking. It's the same web cam thing where you will remove your eye wear, look at the camera and you are not allowed to smile. Haha. Wacky pose not allowed.

Releasing-- your most awaited part! Tadaaa! Then you're good to go. I finished everything for about 10-15 mins.

Here is it! :)

It may be away from Davao but I would rather travel a couple of kilometers to Tagum than to wake up so early and line up at the Davao office. The travel time you have is much lesser compared to your waiting time. Less hassle and saves your energy.

Hope this helps :)

CSSDO

Reality in the streets (street children situation in Davao)

8/22/2012 12:30:00 PM

The society has a lot on hand today. So many issues we have been facing and still on to looking for the appropriate resolutions. There are realities that flash before our eyes before we could ever wonder why it occurs and make a move to settle it.

“The youth are the hope of the nation”, a famous proverb once said. Yes, indeed, they are meant to be the ones who will rise up for the whole society and bring them to a world of improvement. But how can this be manifested when there are a lot of the youth today that are found in the streets whom we so-called “street children”.

UNICEF define street children as minors whose home ties are so weakened that they essentially live on the streets relying on their efforts to meet virtually all their basic needs by which, the streets has become their habitual source of livelihood. They are inadequately protected supervised and directed by a responsible adult.

Street children are classified under two categories: purely street-based and working children. Those children who considered the streets to be their home are the purely street-based while those who are either in-school or out of school, has contact with their family yet spend time on the streets to earn a living or to help their families are considered to be working children.

According to the data from the CSSDO, there are a total of 733 street children in Davao City, 486 of them are purely street-based and 247 are working children. Their usual convergence area are Barangay 2-A, Bankerohan, Magallanes, Legaspi, Anda corner Rizal, Ilustre, Bonifacio, People’s Park, Camus, Quirino, Ponciano, Osmeña Park, Rizal Park, Quezon Park, San Pedro, Claveria, G-Mall Parking Lot, Guerrero Street, intersection between San Pedro College and Holy Cross College, Torres Street, back of Victoria Plaza and McDonalds area in Bajada.

Most commonly, these children are in the streets because they run away from home, unable to cope with the abuses and incidence of violence. They also have poor standards of living which eventually forced them to work in the streets in which they are considerably more prone to danger and certain kind of abuses.

Riding in a cab or simply passing by the streets, no one can ignore that fact that street children are everywhere, walking by, asking for alms, wiping the windshields of the vehicles when the red light is on, asking for food and others. At the same time, looking at them makes people wonder what help is offered to them by the authorized persons.

Once you start to ask why they are in the streets, you will get a very common and predictable answer—“kung dili ko mag trabaho diri, wala mi makaon.”

It was easy to approach one of them in the intersection of Quirino. I had food and juice in my bag and started to ask a boy, “Gusto ka mukaon?” And the boy nodded his head with no hesitation. Seeing the way he responded to my offer of food makes me realize that they easily trust people that can provide them with what they need. But the hope in me remains that those who offer them their needs would be good to them too.

He was a 13-year old boy, out of school and is living with his mother somewhere in the city. According to him, he starts walking around the streets and wiping the windshields of the vehicles that pass by at 4:00 pm until 2:00 am. I asked why late in the afternoon and he simply answered, “Dakpon man gud mi, te.”Surprisingly, he told me they will be taken to DSWD after being caught and eventually will be fed. Nevertheless, it was ironic of him not wanting to be fed since he added that they will not be held long by the said agency. The reason? He does not want to leave his mother behind.

Children scattered in the streets of the city is usually rescued by the Mobile Patrol Group. The term “rescue” is usually misinterpreted as “getting caught”. Most of the time, those rescued children are referred to the Quick Response Team for Children’s Concern (QRTCC) which is under the City Social Services and Development Office (CSSDO). Rescue was the term to be used appropriately since these children are not removed from the streets to place them in jail but rather to provide them guidance. This was clearly explained by the officer in charge and center head, Ms. Minda Silvano.

The QRTCC’s main function is to rescue and provide appropriate interventions to referred children by police groups, barangay officials, other CSSDO districts and concerned citizens as well.

Those referred street children are sheltered in a temporary home namely Paginhawaan Drop-in Center for boys and Sidlakan Women Center for girls. From the moment the children are turned over to their office, they are immediately oriented that the homes are temporary and that those of them who has a family will be brought back. To date, there are 484 children served and provided temporary shelter.

These children are provided not only with shelter but also with activities such as homelife and group living services, alternative education, counseling, arts and crafts, tutorial, drug abuse information education, spiritual activities, and reunification with families and relatives.

But these services that are offered to the children are considered temporary. They still will be taken back to their rightful families and to be taken care of their parents. By which eventually lead them back to the streets once more.

The presence of the street children in our society is a cycle that continuously flows. The children are rescued, given temporary services and guidance, brought back to their homes, and then back to the streets.

They have been comfortable in the streets they walk on and so, they will eventually go back there.

Lastly, in my short moment with that boy, I asked if he ever wished not to work anymore. He gave me a surprising answer and said, “Dili. Gusto gyud ko magtrabaho kay maluoy man sad ko sa akuang mama.” The words of a young boy touched my heart and made me realize how he has openly accepted the responsibility to earn for a living.

At certain times, we get the wrong impression when it comes to street children. At times, we avoid and drive them away. People have the perception about them as homeless, hungry, petty thieves, eyesore, troublesome, batang libudsuroy sa kadalanan, palaboy and some other ugly names like salot, and tun-og. Yet, we never came to realize how they hoped not to ask for alms just to survive the day.

Responsibility towards them is not only depending on the government. At the same time, we, as citizens, should take place to give them support. Almsgiving is legally not allowed. However, it is not only in giving them money that we can be able to help.

In cooperation with the government, we can help them understand how their form of livelihood in the streets is not safe for them. They are not yet of legal age and their time to work for a living will come. They may not immediately understand what we mean but we must also try to be patient in dealing with them.

Having temporary homes means temporary services. We cannot always depend on what is temporarily available on hand but sometimes, we must learn to accept that it is all that is available as of today but we are still expecting more to come someday.

City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio stressed out that the problem with these children is most commonly rooted in the family and so, the problem in the family shall be addressed first. Since the parents have the full responsibility for these street children, they are the ones directly approached by social workers. The street children are forced to be in the streets due to poverty and in line with this is the unemployment of their parents. So, the government is conducting livelihood skills training for the parents which are focused mainly on the mothers. Through this, the parents will therefore be given enough income for their family to survive and the children to no longer be in the streets. Furthermore, they are planning to expand the scope of the public schools that offers Sunday school. Through this, even though they work during the week, they can still have the chance to get proper education and eventually have a better job.

The government has done its part, maybe not perfectly, maybe not extravagantly but they have done what they can.

Knowing this reality in the streets allows me, as a student, to spiritually grow and learn. The world is not the happiest place and nor are we the luckiest person in it but having the resources to live a comfortable life makes us lucky enough and gives us the challenge to share a part of our blessings to the ones considered to be the hope of our nation.