THE Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has issued the guidelines on the operation of community pantries in the country, including the prohibition on the inclusion of alcoholic drinks and cigarettes in the food packages.
During the televised public address of President Duterte on Wednesday night, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said the guidelines are necessary to ensure that community pantries do not become superspreaders of the COVID-19 virus.
Año said that in particular, the violation of the physical distancing rule further spread the virus and cause a surge or spike in cases.
Año said pantry organizers, the beneficiaries and law enforcers have the responsibility to ensure the safety of everyone during the distribution of the food packages.
Under the guidelines, Año said that while organizers are not required to secure a permit to operate, they need to closely coordinate with local government units to ensure that the pantries are compliant to national laws and local ordinances.
“Second, no illegal items and harmful items, including alcohol and cigarette, should be distributed by the organizers of the community pantries,” he said.
The third is a reiteration of what Año said in earlier media interviews – for the community pantries to ensure observance of health protocols like the proper wearing of face mask and face shield and observance of physical distancing.
“And this is one of the grounds for us to stop the operation of community pantries – if basic or minimum health standards are not followed, because this can be a source of surge or spike,” he said.
Also, Año warned LGUs against collecting any fee from community pantry organizers. He said community pantries cannot also collect any fee from the beneficiaries because they are supposed to promote the “bayanihan spirit.”
Año said pantry organizers should also coordinate with the LGUs as to the areas where the stalls would be established, stressing that “the venue should be right in the areas where help is needed, purok, sitio or barangay.”
He also said LGUs may link the pantry organizers to suppliers and local producers to spur economy.
The DILG chief said LGUs have to deploy security personnel in the vicinity where the pantries are set up, noting that organizers may not be able to maintain peace and order if people flock to the undertaking.
“Kailangan po natin dito ang PNP, ang barangay tanod, ang barangay officials at volunteers. (We need the PNP, barangay tanods, barangay officials and volunteers),” Año said, adding:
“At kailangan po ay may sistema kung papaano makakaabot ang tulong sa mga beneficiaries na hindi kayang lumabas ng bahay katulad ng mga seniors at iyong may mga comorbidity (And we also need a system how to the help will reach the beneficiaries who cannot leave their homes like the seniors and those with comorbidity).”
President Duterte said community pantries should be put up in “purok” or “sitios” which covers smaller areas or parts of barangays.
“You can always schedule it for the purok, so the people in line will be limited. Then after that, the sitio will be the next venue, and the third and so forth and so on. Let’s start with the basics, the basic political unit is really the barangay and then there is the sitio, after the sitio then the purok. If they form a line, it will not be so much,” he said on Wednesday night.
Also, the President chided organizers who he claimed only focus on sharing their donations even if people had to go in line and disregard minimum protocols.
“What they just do is just to show to the people that they care, but they do not really care because of their ignorance,” Duterte said.
Año said the community pantries should be localized, meaning the beneficiaries will be residents of the barangay where the pantries are put up. He said people from other barangays need not go to another barangay to avail of the services of community pantries.
He cited a community pantry in Barangay Holy Spirit in Quezon City where about 10,000 people, including from other areas, flocked after this was announced on Facebook. He said the crowd was not controlled and minimum health standards were violated.
“In the community pantries, the rights of everyone should be respected, whether they are organizers, beneficiaries or on the side of the LGUs,” said Año.
Año also said politicians are not allowed to take advantage of the community pantries to promote themselves. “We are not going to allow attention grabbers or those who will put whatever signage, billboards, posters bearing pictures, names, initial or images of people who put up community pantries, especially the politicians who want to take advantage of the community pantries),” said Año. — With Jocelyn Montemayor
