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The TIME magazine article written by Charlie Campbell entitled, “Pope Francis and the mystery of Manila’s vanishing street children,” revealed that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) transported some street kids and their families to a resort in Batangas for the duration of the Papal visit.
Campbell wrote that DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman confirmed that “100 homeless families — comprising 490 parents and children — were taken off the street of Roxas Boulevard, the palm-fringed thoroughfare arcing Manila Bay along which Pope Francis traveled several times, and taken about an hour and a half’s drive away to the plush Chateau Royal Batangas resort.”
READ: Dinky slams report accusing DSWD of ‘caging’ street kids for Papal visit
Campbell quoted Soliman as saying that the resort exodus was done so that the street kids and their families would not be “vulnerable to the influx of people coming to witness the Pope.” She als reportedly “expressed fears that the destitute could be seen as not having a positive influence in the crowd” and that they could be “used by people who do not have good intentions.”
A report by Doris Bigornia on ABS-CBNnews.com confirms Campbell’s data. The report explained: “On the morning of January 14, several buses full of street children and their families arrived at the Chateau Royale Resort in Nasugbu, Batangas. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) paid for the tab of around 500 persons from Baclaran, Manila, and Parañaque who were booked at the resort for 6 days.”
The report noted: “The rooms at the resort usually went for more than PHP6,000 per night, but the DSWD got them for about PHP4,000 each.”
The report added that “some 100 DSWD staff also stayed at the resort to watch over the guests who occupied a total of 70 rooms.”
For the record, the street kids and their families checked in at the resort on Jan 14 and checked out on Jan 19.
Photo: Chateau Royale Batangas
