San Nicolas captain calls for aid for street dwellers

San Nicolas Proper Barangay Captain Rey Niñal is appealing for help as more homeless individuals return to the streets, especially in his area, which houses the popular Taboan Public Market.

- Caecent No-ot Magsumbol/FPL

Niñal, known as the city's "Father of the Homeless," is currently mourning the death of another homeless individual over the weekend.

In an interview with The Freeman, Niñal recounted that before the elderly homeless woman passed away, he had urged her husband to take her to the hospital, seeing that she was very ill. However, the husband became upset and refused to cooperate. The following day, the woman died.

The situation became more complicated due to difficulties in processing the death certificate and securing burial assistance, as the deceased was neither a registered voter in the city nor a resident of the barangay.

"Even the coffin is expensive, Niñal said, adding that he no longer has access to a free coffin for such cases.