Some street children in Tagbilaran City as shown recently in a Facebook post have been into crimes as petty their age but shadowed by a serious vice–drugs.
The Chronicle followed the children as they go about their daily activities on the streets after the Facebook post of DYRD Bohol Ang Kasaligan gathered comments expressing concerns and worries on their fate.
The truth is alarming as they are in fact engaged in harassing passersby and stealing wherever their feet bring them.
Noticeable is that they already know where to find victims and concentrate on populous areas.
They are actually just going tracing the same routes everyday to prey on unsuspecting passersby and some stores.
The usual places they go everyday include the B. Inting St. area going to the City Square, plaza, St. Joseph Cathedral, CPG Avenue from BQ Mall area then to the stretch up to the area along Bohol Cultural Center, University of Bohol, pier area, Gallares St. back to the plaza.
When they rest they hang usually at corner M. Parras and B. Inting Sts. where they are often found sniffing solvent.
They are actually just visible, according to some of the victims of snatching.
At times they would politely beg for some coins, and would turn down food or any in-kind gifts.
These streetchildren are different from the Badjao mothers and children who beg for coins from those who park their cars across the Island City Mall and motorists stopping at intersections of roads.
The sight of streetchildren growing in number worried Tagbilaranons amid the lack of fruitful action from the city government.
This summarizes the reactions to the Facebook post of DYRD Bohol Ang Kasaligan.
The Facebook post of DYRD Bohol Ang Kasaligan shows streetchildren gathered near the corner of M. Parras and B. Inting Streets where they sniff solvent placed inside a transparent plastic bag.
One reactor to the Facebook post attested that had once seen the same group of streetchildren sniffing solvent near the area.
This scenario is similar to what had been seen in some urban areas outside Bohol where boys and even girls of young age sniff solvent in the streets, thus the term “solvent boys†was coined, referring to them.
They place the solvent or rugby in a plastic bag and inhale from the bag to achieve euphoria.
Other reactors to the Facebook post of DYRD Bohol Ang Kasaligan commented that they had also seen those children across University of Bohol where they swiftly enter an eatery and took a student’s change placed on the table.
According to another comment, those children were also seen in the area near UB and entered the Our Delibread outlet then took the money from the cashier.
Some of those who commented to the Facebook post called on the city government through the City Social Welfare and Development Office to act now before the problem worsens as these children have been seen roaming around the city for more than a year already.
One of the concerns raised is that these children living in crimes everyday might grow up into hardened criminals when they become adults.