By VIRGIL LOPEZ, GMA News
Published April 21, 2021 2:35pm The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) on Wednesday backed the initiative of private citizens to distribute free food items and other essentials to the poor amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement, IBP president Domingo Cayosa said such an initiative should be praised and not be a subject of profiling by the authorities. “No law is violated when one feeds the hungry and helps the needy survive in this pandemic. Community pantries should be praised, not profiled; replicated, not red-tagged; supported, not stopped,” he said. Cayosa issued the statement following reports of alleged red tagging and profiling of some organizers by police officers in some parts of Metro Manila.
DILG Secretary Eduardo Año
(PCOO / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Año’s statement was issued amid allegations that community pantry organizers are being red-tagged by the PNP, which prompted one of the organizers to temporarily halt its operation.
“The community pantry has been a traditional practice in our country as part of Bayanihan culture and spirit especially in the times of calamities and disasters. Iba iba lang ang pangalan: community pantry, food bank, soup kitchen, kapitbahayan and ayuda, among others. (They go by different names: community pantry, food bank, soup kitchen, neighborhood aid and assistance among others. In the spirit of Bayanihan (cooperative undertaking), many Filipinos have been doing selfless acts of kindness since last year.’’ Año said.
By HANA BORDEY, GMA News
Published April 20, 2021 5:27pm Eight senators from the majority and the minority blocs of the Senate want law enforcement to launch an investigation into the profiling and red-tagging of community pantry organizers. The senators released a joint statement on Tuesday slamming the social media posts of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) apparently linking the community pantry initiatives to the communist movement. The senators also urged the authorities to hold a dialogue with the organizers of the community pantries an initiative which is intended to help people by donating food and other essentials.
By JOVILAND RITA, GMA News
Published April 20, 2021 4:00pm The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) on Tuesday apologized to the community pantry organizers over a social media post supposedly red-tagging the volunteers. In a statement, the QCPD said its director, Police Brigadier General Antonio Yarra, does not and will never allow red-tagging. “The QCPD expresses sincere apology particularly to the affected party for the inconvenience that the inadvertent post could have caused and reassured of her safety and protection,” the QCPD said. According to the QCPD, the post originated from the Facebook page of youth organization Peace Philippines whose legitimacy, it said, is being verified.
HRW urges Philippine gov t to stop targeting community pantry organizers gmanetwork.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from gmanetwork.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.