Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Martin Diño said Tuesday that community pantries should get permission from local governments to ensure compliance with health protocols.
Diño said these charity projects should have now permits due to the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think now they need [a] permit from the local, mayor, or the barangay. Una, paisa-isa lang yan. Ngayon kaso dinumog na ng tao, ibig sabihin wala nang control pati yung protocol ngayon ay na-violate na,” Diño said in an interview with ANC.
(I think now they need a permit from the local, mayor, or the barangay. At first, there were only a few setups of community pantries. Now, these are being crowded by people, which means it’s uncontrollable [and] even the protocol is already being violated.)
Although the DILG official lauds the community pantries organizers, he said LGUs and barangay authorities should guide them for the observance of health protocols.
Meanwhile, Diño clarified that their only concerns regarding the community pantries are social distancing among those who get their food there and not the alleged red-tagging.
Community pantries need permit: DILG’s Diño
On Monday, Anna Patricia Non, the organizer of the Maginhawa Community Pantry, said they would have to halt their operation for the safety of its volunteers.
“Malungkot po dahil hindi muna maipapamahagi ang goods na inihanda namin buong maghapon dahil po sa #RedTagging na nagaganap. Magbigat sa pakirandam ko kasi maganda po ang intentions ko noong binuo ko ang #CommunityPantry at ilang araw na din po na napakaraming pinagsisilbihan nito at ganun din po ang tulong na dumadating,” Non said on Facebook.
“Sigurado po maraming tao po ang pipila sa amin bukas pero kailangan po muna nila maghintay sa susunod na araw bago po ito maipamahagi. Lalo na po at nagkaproblema kanina ang ibang Community Pantry sa mga kapulisan,” she added.
Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police (PNP) clarified on Tuesday that they do not have any kind of profiling conducted on the organizers of community pantries.
This was followed by reports of community pantries visited by police.
In a statement, PNP Chief Gen Debold Sinas said there is no order for the police to profile because the volunteerism of private citizens is out of the interest of the PNP.