The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) confirms today that the group of street kids caught on viral video bothering and hurting some jeepney passengers along Macapagal Boulevard, Pasay City are now under the temporary custody of the Pasay City Social Welfare and Development Office.

Based on the reports of DSWD FO-NCR which validated the case, a massive reach out was led by the Philippine National Police (PNP) yesterday to rescue 17 street kids involved in the incident.

DSWD social workers also reported that the street children have already been given basic services and still undergoing case management and assessment in the Pasay City Youth Home.

Meanwhile, DSWD Secretary Virginia N. Orogo explained that social workers are now checking the capability of the parents in caring for the kids involved in the incident.

“We received reports that the parents had already been contacted by social workers. Our next step is to determine their capability to take care of their children or if they need counseling or other appropriate interventions,” she said.

“The Department also emphasizes to the public that the reach out operations for street families and children are always done in partnership with the Local Government Units (LGUs) as the lead in profiling and rescuing street dwellers,” Secretary Orogo added.

However, in case of similar cases, concerned citizens may report sightings of street dwellers in need of immediate assistance through the DSWD-NCR’s hotline 734-8623 and or by tweeting the exact location of the children or individual at-risk on the street to the @savestreetkids Twitter account.  ###