The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has provided initial financial aid to a 68-year-old man who was arrested after playing the harmonica on the streets to buy food for his grandchildren.

The DSWD Central Visayas Field Office dispatched personnel through its Pag-abot Program to assess the living conditions of Ireneo Selma Vidal and determine long-term assistance.

Vidal received P10,000 in initial financial aid after qualifying for the program’s comprehensive social package.

“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,” DSWD Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said Monday.

Dumlao, who also serves as the agency’s spokesperson, noted that the elderly man should be resting at home given his age and the dangers of the streets amid extreme heat.

“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,” Dumlao said.

Vidal had reportedly spent over a year relying on small donations from passersby while playing the “silindro,” or harmonica. He was arrested 7 May by the Cebu City Anti-Mendicancy Office.

A further assessment by social workers revealed that Vidal faces difficult living conditions in a house owned by his daughter’s family. He has been struggling to provide for himself, his three-year-old grandchild, and other grandchildren who frequently stay with him.