UBAS in Cebu: Changing Street Children’s Lives

More than a year since it was re-launched,  Ugnayan ng mga Barangay at Simbahan (UBAS), the collaboration between church and barangays, is making huge strides in addressing problems at the grassroots levels, thereby changing people’s lives.


Reporting on an UBAS project to help street children in Cebu, Fr. Melo Diola worked with other advocates on a very simple project. The children were initially invited to the parish on a Saturday morning. There, they were allowed to bathe, have a haricut, a hot meal, and newly-washed clothes.
As they became comfortable in the parish, they were given tutorials and values formation.
About 500 children from catholic families are being prepared for their first holy communion, in time for the upcoming 51st Eucharistic Congress in Cebu.


Their approach is ecumenical and inter-faith, since they also have Muslim beneficiaries and participants. To make things easier for the street children, the UBAS team came up with an acronym, ‘TLIG,’ or ‘True Love Inspired by God.’ TLIG also broadly stands for T = come on Time, L = fall in Line, I = follow Instructions, and G = manage your garbage.

The children are also given pastoral companions who are ates and kuyas (big sisters or brothers) who also come from mission areas. Promising street children are also given scholarships while their families are also provided community and livelihood training.


Already,  35 street children have gone  back to school; they were provided with meals and transport allowances to keep them  in school. Two of these 35 street children even made it to the top of their class. Due to this encouraging result, two more community-based outreaches were launched, bringing 100 more street children back to school. Thanks to UBAS, most of the street children now have a sense of time and responsibility. They are now happy and excited for their birthdays.


“The most important fruit of the UBAS street children project is the gradual restoration and reintegration of the children into society. It has been a faith-filled journey marked by community-based efforts of committed and competent partners and companions,” Fr. Diola said.

As a result of this "best practice", other barangays are now poised to partner with four more parishes in the Archdiocese of Cebu, with the help of the police, barangay officials and priests, who would have distinct but inter-related roles.


Fr. Diola cited Barangay Usman Dako, headed by its chairman, Ernie Manatag, as one of the earliest adopters of the street children project. In the past, the barangay saw the street children as ‘nuisances'. Now, Chairman Manatag sees the 32 street children beneficiaries every Sunday morning and looks after them as if they were his own children.


If your barangay or parish in interested in working together for the common good, we will be happy to help. You can email me at vickypg@gmail.com.

The original article was written by Tessa Mangahas which I have edited to fit my blog.