Arlene Brosas —Photo from House of Representatives

MANILA, Philippines — Gabriela party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas has appealed to the public to refrain from vilifying and unearthing the past and personal details of the so-called “Sampaguita girl,” as the proper course of action would be to help her.

In an ambush interview at the Batasang Pambansa complex on Monday, Brosas was asked about the Gabriela Women’s Party’s stand on the issue surrounding “Jeny”, a 22-year-old woman who appeared in a now-viral video where a mall security guard roughly asked her to move away from the establishment’s entrance.

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Over time, personal details surrounding Jeny — like her actual age, the fact that she is no longer a high school student but still wears a high school uniform, and fears that she may be connected to a syndicate — surfaced.  But Brosas believes what the people should do is to help the flower vendor.

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“And tingin ko, kailangan din natin tingnan na hindi dapat ivi-vilify ‘yong mga tao na gumagawa ng paraan para mabuhay.  So sa sampaguita vendor, first, ‘yong compassion ng taumbayan, kaugnay sa kalagayan siguro niya, at ang pamilya niya, na siya ay nagsisikap na makapag-aral,” Brosas told reporters.

(I think we must also look at this intently and refrain from vilifying the people who take steps towards better lives.  So for the sampaguita vendor, first is a call for compassion from Filipinos regarding her and her family’s state, as she only strives to study.)

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“Tapos huwag natin ungkatin ‘yong kanyang (personal details), bagkus dapat tulungan natin yung mga tao na ganito,” she added. “I believe ngayon nagkakaproblema na siya kasi dahil na ungkat na, ang tawag yata doon doxing, inungkat ‘yong lahat ng mga issues sa kanya.  Then ngayon, na hihirapan siyang, ipakita ‘yong kanyang mukha, kalagayan sa publiko.”

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(Also, let us not dig up her personal details. Instead, we should help the people who struggle.  I believe she is now having problems because her information is being revealed; I think they call that doxxing, and issues were being unearthed.  Now, she is finding it hard to show her face and state her status publicly.)

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According to Brosas, she is against syndicates who take advantage of children by asking them to sell goods near malls and along the streets, but people should also understand why people get into syndicates.

“Although we believe na hindi dapat nagkakaroon ng mga sindikato, pero bakit nagkakaroon ng mga sindikato, kailangan din natin tanungin ‘yon. At ang pinakamalalim doon, yung situation talaga ng ekonomiya ng ating bansa,” she explained.

Comments from top Federal Reserve officials suggesting they would like to see a slower pace of rate cuts tempered hopes for another bumper cut at the bank’s next meeting, while Middle East worries pushed gold to a new record.

In a statement on Monday, GSIS said the transport hub dubbed as ‘Project Hub’, will be located at the corner of the Elliptical Road and Commonwealth Avenue.

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(Although we believe there should be no syndicates, we must ask and understand why syndicates are formed.  The deeper reason behind that is the economic status of the country.)

“Mataas kasi yung presyo ng mga bilin ngayon na, tapos kapag nag-aaral ka talaga, kailangan mo ng pera, pamasahe, et cetera kung ano-ano pa […] So tingnan natin sa malawak na paraan, itong nanggaganap na ito,” she added.

(The prices of goods are so high now, and if you can even study, you need money for transport fares and other needs.  So let us look at this with a wider perspective.)

According to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)l, they will look into the case of Jeny, especially after learning that her family used to be a beneficiary of the government’s conditional cash transfer program, or the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

DSWD spokesperson Irene Dumlao said social workers would assess the student’s situation to determine other interventions that the agency can provide the vendor’s family.

READ: DSWD comes to viral sampaguita girl’s aid; PNP summons mall guard 

Initially, there were claims that Jeny was an 18-year-old high school student who sold Sampaguita to help her family.  However, an interview conducted by DSWD’s social workers showed that Jeny is already a college freshman student taking up medical technology.

There were also fears that Jeny might be a syndicate member selling items to mall-goers, but her mother told DSWD that she made the sampaguita garlands.

Further investigation by the Mandaluyong City Police echoed Jeny’s claims that she is not a syndicate member, adding that the student is an academic scholar of a private educational institution.

READ: Girl in viral squabble with mall guard a scholar, not syndicate member 

Brosas meanwhile called on establishments to be more compassionate towards people who strive for better lives, especially if they do not disturb people.

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“We should be very compassionate to our fellow Filipinosgppbet, especially now that we are facing a grave economic crisis […] basically people who strive for a living should not be roughly sent away, they should be understood.  If they are not interrupting other people, they should be allowed to earn a livelihood outside their homes.)

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