Helping other people is laudable – but authorities say good Samaritans must also do it the legal way.
That was the message of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) after it suspended a care facility owned by vlogger “BenchTV” due to its lack of legal permits.
DSWD officials discovered 12 individuals, two of which are minors, following a site inspection around the care facility at Barangay Landayan, San Pedro City, Laguna on Thursday, January 29.
Six of them were promptly transferred to the custody of DSWD for appropriate care and intervention.
‘Unexpected’
The suspension, however, was a shock to Benjie Perillo, who originated BenchTV.
According to the vlogger, he did not expect his decision to help reunite families would warrant such sanction.
“Kami ay gumagawa ng kawang gawa dahil napakdaming tao ang nawawala at hinahanap ng pamilya na naging taong grasa, at sa tulong ng aming pag rescue ay nakapiling nila ang mga taong matagal na nilang hinahanap,” he wrote in his social media post.
It was in 2022 when BenchTV shifted into featuring the lives of the homeless in his vlogs.
This pivot coincidentally contributed to the gradual growth of his social media presence.
As of counting, his YouTube channel has now amassed over 500,000 subscribers and received at least 100,000 views on average.
Despite the incident, however, he promised to continue helping the people in need.
Make it legal
Authorities who visited Perillo’s care center had advised him to secure a Certificate of Registration and License to Operate (CRLTO) to ensure the legitimacy of his operations.
Voluntary work that involves human welfare is still bound by law regardless of how good the intentions are, they added.
The government agency also provided him with some technical assistance related to its process and requirements.
The operation was led by DSWD’s Standards Bureau (SB) in cooperation with the San Pedro City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) and DSWD Field Office (FO) 4A-CALABARZON.
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