I was not a bit surprised that Quezon City policemen would red- tag the originator of Maginhawa Community Pantry—a communication graduate from the University of the Philippines and a furniture entrepreneur—whose sole purpose was to help those in need of food to ease their woes during this pandemic.
This action stems from an inherent and deep-seated jealousy and insecurity by those in power—whose ineptness and lack of concern for the people was exposed wide open for the world to see and who demonize others for doing good, so they can score pogi points even in such distasteful arrogance and ignorance.
Myopic is the kindest word I can use against the leadership of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) because its real reason for red tagging is to prevent other stars from shining over their own lord’s star. The ELCAC is doing this to all kinds of benevolent doers because their boss is getting hit for callousness, absences, and insensitivity during crises while the do-gooders get all the praises from all over.
The founder of Maginhawa Community Pantry—Ana Patricia Non who based her undertaking from food banks abroad —sadly announced on Twitter that she would shut the community pantry on Tuesday for fear of getting arrested after being red tagged by NTF-ELCAC. She said she goes to the pantry at 5 a.m. to set up the table on the street and put vegetables, rice, eggs, canned goods and other food items that people can take from or donate supplies to for those hardest- hit by the pandemic. But her intended recipients, who are not Twitter followers, still queued all morning only to be told to leave as there would be no pantry operation, until further notice.
Her endeavor spread like wildfire where community pantries, including those of the San Roque Cathedral in Caloocan City, were set up in different parts of Metro Manila, Luzon provinces and in the Visayas and Mindanao.
Netizens were enraged by the stoppage and twitted denunciations towards the NTF-ELCAC, particularly its head Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade of the Southern Luzon Command (who has earned the ire of legislators for his obsession to label almost everyone critical of the administration as a communist or red sympathizer).
Do not demonize
Rep. Jocelyn Tulfo of ACT-CIS Partylist and member of the House committee on social welfare, defended community pantries as “Bayanihan in action and in spirit. Leave them be. Leave them alone. They are not violating any laws.”
Their Bayanihan is an expression of the sovereign will of the Filipino people. The organizers of and donors to community pantries are civic-minded, charitable, good Samaritans, she argued.
Public service quite often begins with grassroots community action toward common causes. Do not demonize, red-tag, ridicule, nor bash them. They are doing public service, Tulfo said.
Tulfo said the quarantine rules were being abused by the police and other law enforcers, including barangays, to prevent such community pantries and public welfare endeavors from succeeding.
“They should not brand community pantry organizers and donors as quarantine offenders. Arresting them or investigating them with the specter of criminal charges and ordinance violations is unwarranted and unjust. Criminal charges like disobedience of persons in authority or agents of persons in authority is overzealous or abusive enforcement of quarantines,” Tulfo argued.
Keeping orderliness and peace is enough. Reminding people to follow the protocols is enough. Criminal charges are overkill and overreach resulting in “overburdening DOJ prosecutors with frivolous charges and caseload to congest their already congested case dockets. “
Netizens angered
Senator Nancy Binay and the ASEAN Sogie Caucus (a network of human rights activists from Southeast Asia) denounced the red tagging of Patreng (the nickname of the organizer of Maginhawa community pantry).
Actress Bianca Gonzales twitted that the collection of personal data must be done fairly and lawfully with respect to the rights of data subject, including the right to be informed and object—according to the rules of the National Privacy Commission.
Jim Paredes of Apo Hiking Society asked “What is it in kindness and loving one’s neighbor that you (DILG which insists that pantry operators must get a permit) don’t understand? Why do you want to make it harder for people to live? What do you want, more money, more control? You like to see people suffering helplessly.
Academist/journalist Danny Arao said “red tagging organizers/volunteers of community pantries (particularly in Maginhawa) is the government’s resort to anything and everything that proves its incompetence. Only the sickest of mind would be happy to shut down anything that serves the people.”
Joy’s response
Non sought the help of QC Mayor Joy Belmonte after a few policemen demanded for her number and the organization that she represents. The mayor was reported to have asked the QCPD Director to investigate the matter.
Human rights organization Amnesty International has urged the Duterte government to stop its widespread practice of red tagging, saying that it was “vicious and at times, deadly.”
“In the prevailing context where red-tagged individuals become the targets of harassment, threats, and even killings, courts and pertinent government agencies must take concrete steps to ensure the safety and protection of these individuals,” it said in a statement.
Non came up with the pantry, similar to food banks in Australia and the United States, to help Filipinos who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic. People are free to take food and other items from the pantry, but they are also encouraged to give what they can. Within days the idea was replicated in several towns all over the country.
The pantries’ slogan, copied from writer George Whitman’s “Give what you can take what you need,” became a rallying cry for those dissatisfied with the government’s apparent inaction amidst people’s suffering. Shortly after Non’s Quezon City pantry was shut, #OustDuterteNow trended on Twitter.
The pandemic undoubtedly twisted the wrong way the minds and hearts of those in power. With just a few months before election, I hope the voters will learn from this lesson and choose their leaders wisely.I have blundered in 2016, never again.