“The smell of human feces and urine was everywhere.”
A team of social workers and police officers were met with an unbearable stench of human waste while rescuing 17 residents from a privately run caregiving facility in Barangay Poblacion, Maramag, on Saturday.
According to reports, the residents of the said facility had experienced abuse and neglect for three years.
Irene Dosol-Auxillo, information officer of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Protective Services Division, said on Tuesday that the smell of human waste was everywhere in the facility.
The DSWD, with the authorities, served a suspension order against the Bukidnon Multi-Sectoral Services Foundation Incorporated (BUMSSEFI) for operating the facility without the required licenses and permits.
According to the DSWD Northern Mindanao Field Office, inspections conducted in February and April this year revealed that the foundation lacked registration to function as a Social Welfare and Development Agency (SWDA).
Despite receiving two prior warnings not to operate without authorization, the owners continued to accept clients. The agency gave the foundation 30 days to comply with registration requirements, but it failed to do so.
Auxillo said BUMSSEFI charged families of residents at least P6,000 per month for caregiving services.
Authorities found dirty toilets inside the residents’ rooms and described the overall condition as “unbearable.”
North Poblacion Barangay Captain John Andre Lalaan said the facility had long been the subject of complaints from nearby residents.
“The residents complained about how the [in-house clients] yell that they are hungry. They also complained about the stench from the facility reaching their houses,” he said.
Despite repeated promises from the owners to address the situation, Lalaan added that no action was ever taken.
Former municipal official Felix Vergara told MindaNews that the facility’s state was an “open secret” to the 110,000 Maramag citizens.
“Everyone knew about it. It was openly discussed in the municipal hall, but nobody lifted a finger to stop it,” he said.
Violations found during the inspection included unsanitary toilets and sleeping areas, lack of occupational safety standards, health-threatening conditions, improper case management, and the absence of qualified caregivers or social workers to attend to the clients.
The rescued senior citizens and PWDs reportedly came from Balingasag and Laguindingan towns and Gingoog City in Misamis Oriental, Cagayan de Oro City, and several towns in Bukidnon.
They have since been transferred to a State-run residential care facility in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon, for proper care and rehabilitation under the custody of DSWD Field Office 10 (Northern Mindanao).
