Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival on Monday urged non-governmental organizations (NGOs), charities and private donors to stop distributing food or money directly to street dwellers, arguing that such actions encourage mendicancy in the city.

The mayor’s appeal follows public backlash over the recent arrest of Ireneo Vidal, a 68-year-old harmonica player, along Colon Street. The incident sparked a fierce debate over whether Cebu City’s strict anti-mendicancy drive punishes poverty rather than addressing its root causes.

“I am appealing to our constituents, especially NGOs, because one factor encouraging people to come to our city is that many people here keep giving,” Archival said.

“There are places where people distribute food every Saturday or Sunday, and every week the number of people they feed keeps increasing. It is as if we are encouraging people to come here just to receive aid,” he added.

Archival defended the city’s intensified enforcement of City Ordinance No. 1631, also known as the Anti-Mendicancy Ordinance.

He urged the public to channel their donations through the city government or the Department of Social Welfare Services (DSWS) instead of giving directly to individuals on the street.

Under Section 5 of the ordinance, mendicants 60 and older who suffer from illness or physical or mental infirmities must be turned over to the DSWS for proper care and institutional placement.

DSWS officials said social workers had repeatedly intervened in Vidal’s case, but he continually returned to the streets to perform.