The Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Pag-abot Program has provided financial aid as initial intervention to the elderly man in Cebu City who recently went viral after being arrested for playing his harmonica on the streets to buy food for his hungry grandchild.

DSWD’s Field Office (FO) 7 – Central Visayas Pag-abot Team visited 68-year-old Ireneo Selma Vidal to assess his living conditions for appropriate intervention under the program.

According to reports, the Cebu grandfather was apprehended by Cebu City Anti-Mendicancy Office (CCAMO) last May 7.

“We immediately dispatched our personnel to assist Tatay Ireneo after learning about his situation so we can ensure that he and his grandchildren will have something to eat without him resorting to the streets,” Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao, the DSWD spokesperson, said on Monday (May 18).

Based on assessment, Tatay Ireneo was evaluated as eligible for support under the Pag-abot Comprehensive Social Package, and received Php10,000 financial aid as an initial support.

“Sa edad ni Tatay Ireneo, dapat din ay nasa bahay nalang siya at nagpapahinga, dahil hindi natin alam ano ang maaaring mangyari sa kanya sa kalsada– lalo na’t napakainit ng panahon,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao said.

Tatay Ireneo has spent the last year and a half relying on the small donations of passersby who listen to him play the selendron or harmonica to sustain his daily needs.

The Department found that the grandfather has been enduring a difficult living arrangement in a house owned by the family of his daughter’s estranged partner.

Despite his age, Tatay Ireneo took it upon himself to provide for his daily needs, as well as that of his three-year-old grandchild and other grandkids who frequently come and go to his room.

“It is heartbreaking to see a grandparent risk his life on the streets just to feed his grandchild, which is why we are preparing long-term interventions to keep him safe,” the DSWD spokesperson pointed out.

The DSWD implements the Pag abot Program to address the needs of families and individuals in street situations (FISS) in line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. for the Department to assist the most vulnerable Filipino sectors. (KI)