The arrest of a 68-year-old harmonica player in Cebu City has prompted Mayor Nestor Archival to propose designated spaces for buskers, while the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) extended assistance to the elderly man.
Arrest of Ireneo Vidal
Personnel from the Cebu City Anti-Mendicancy Office (CCAMO) arrested Ireneo Selma Vidal on the night of May 7, 2026, along Colon Street after he was seen playing his harmonica, locally known as a selendron, while accepting small donations from passersby. A viral video of the incident drew sharp criticism from netizens who questioned the punitive treatment of an elderly street musician. Some online posts also alleged that Vidal was manhandled during the encounter.
Vidal insisted he was not begging, explaining that he performed music to buy food for his three-year-old grandchild. The DSWD noted that Vidal has relied on street performance donations for the past year and a half to sustain himself and his grandchildren while enduring a difficult living arrangement in a room owned by his daughter’s estranged partner’s family.
DSWD Assistance
The DSWD Field Office 7 Pag-abot Team visited Vidal to assess his living conditions and deliver immediate interventions. The agency provided Vidal with P10,000 in cash aid as initial assistance under the Pag-abot 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 spokesperson Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said in a news release on Monday, May 18.
“At Tatay Ireneo’s age, he should just be at home resting because we do not know what could happen to him on the street — especially since the weather is extremely hot,” Dumlao added, emphasizing that the department is preparing long-term interventions to keep the grandfather safe.
Despite his age, the DSWD said, Vidal took it upon himself to provide for his daily needs, as well as those of his three-year-old grandchild and other grandchildren who frequently come and go to his room.
“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,” the DSWD spokesperson pointed out.
Mayor’s Proposal for Busker Spaces
The high-profile arrest prompted Mayor Archival to push for the creation of designated public spaces for street performers, stating that the incident exposed critical enforcement gaps. The Cebu City Government is now studying a proposal to allow buskers, musicians, human statues, and other street entertainers to perform in public parks and plazas under a regulated program rather than driving them off sidewalks.
“We are trying to find ways so that those people on the streets who are busking, we can create a program where they have a designated area like the parks,” Archival said.
Archival has tasked the City Attorney’s Office with reviewing whether using a donation box during a performance automatically constitutes illegal solicitation under the City’s Anti-Mendicancy Ordinance.
“Our point is, if you sing and then place a box, are you begging? These are interpretations that need to be looked into by the city attorney,” the mayor said.
While Archival disclosed that Vidal had been apprehended and referred to the Cebu City Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS) three times in the past, he acknowledged that systemic poverty continually drove the elderly man back to the streets.
Reforms and Investigation
In response to the public backlash, Archival ordered all anti-mendicancy personnel to utilize body cameras during future operations to ensure complete transparency. He also directed the DSWS to monitor Vidal’s health following reports of stomach pains while in detention, while Cebu City Councilor Jun Alcover pledged to help secure Vidal’s bail and spearhead a City Council investigation into the alleged manhandling.
The National Government, through the DSWD’s Pag-abot Program, continues to scale up operations to rescue families and individuals in street situations under directives from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to protect vulnerable sectors.
