The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) renewed its call to the public not to give alms to children in street situations, homeless individuals and members of Indigenous Peoples' (IP) groups, whose numbers usually grow during the holiday season.
“The DSWD would not like to dampen the Christmas spirit. Gusto pa rin po natin na magbahagi po ng tulong lalong-lalo na sa mga bata (We want to share specially to the children) so the responsible means of doing that is to reach out to them, remove them from the streets,” Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said in a news release on Friday.
The appeal aligns with Presidential Decree (PD) No. 1563, also known as the Anti-Mendicancy Law, which prohibits begging and soliciting charitable donations on the streets by individuals or religious organizations.
To prevent mendicant activities, Dumlao encouraged the public to offer other forms of assistance, such as conducting organized activities through gift-giving, feeding sessions, medical missions, storytelling sessions and group caroling in coordination with local government units (LGUs).
“We want to ensure a safe Christmas experience for all children. Hence, the importance of parental or guardian's supervision on children participating in caroling sessions to ensure they are safe from harm,” Dumlao said.
For groups or organizations conducting fundraising activities through caroling, Dumlao encouraged them to secure solicitation permits from the DSWD if the scope is region-wide or nationwide.
She said the permit should be secured from the concerned LGU for fundraising limited within a community, city or municipality.
A solicitation permit is a certification issued by the DSWD and LGUs that gives authorization to individuals, groups, and other entities to solicit donations or voluntary contributions for charitable or public welfare purposes to prevent any illegal fund drive that exploits the generosity of the donors and intended beneficiaries. (PR)
