Bayan Muna Representative Ferdinand Gaite has slammed reports that members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) are profiling organizers of community pantries.
Gaite issued the statement after Manila resident Marikit Arellano shared on social media Monday, April 19, that police officers went to their community pantry in Pandacan and asked about their identity and affiliation.
In a now-deleted post, Arellano said they were also asked to fill up a form from the PNP-Joint Industrial Peace and Concerns Office or JIPCO, which asked about their personal details, including their Facebook account, as well as their family background.
"Para saan itong form na pinapa-fill up ng mga pulis? Bakit kailangan tanungin kung may kinabibilangang organisasyon ang mga nagtayo ng community pantry? Is this profiling of pantry organizers necessary? Saan naman nila gagamitin ang mga impormasyon na kinukuha nila? (What is the purpose of this form that policemen wanted filled up? Why the need to ask community pantry organizers if they are part of any organization? Is this profiling of pantry organizers necessary? Where will they use the information that they are gathering?)" Gaite asked.
"Dapat sagutin ito ng PNP (The PNP should answer)," he said in his statement.
The move, Gaite said, causes undue anxiety among volunteers who set up community pantries to give free goods to individuals affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the continuing lockdowns.
"Have you no decency? Tumutulong na nga, tinatakot niyo pa (People have taken the inititiative to help, but you were threatening them instead)," he lamented.
"Mabuti pa siguro ay mag-donate na lang itong mga pulis kesa gawin itong profiling na ito (It would be better if these policemen would just donate to the community pantries instead of doing this profiling). It is unnecessary, and it also causing anxiety among the organizers of pantries," he said.
The progressive lawmaker surmised that the profiling will be used for "red-tagging", or labelling the organizers as being or having links to communist rebels and enemies of the state.
In the website of the PNP Region 3, JIPCO was described as "a community relations program of the PNP in partnership with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority."
The program, said the PNP, was "generally the first line of defense from radical labor infiltration of the labor force and the industrial zones, which is essentially in support of ELCAC (National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict)."
Incidentally, the NTF-ELCAC on Monday made social media posts against organizers of community pantries, sharing claims that the initiative is being used to recruit members of communist groups.
"Nagsimula na ang mga DDS trolls sa paninira sa inisyatibang ito ('Duterte Die-Hard Supporters' and trolls have started maligning this initiative), they are now labeling the community pantries as just an effort to descredit the Duterte government and its pandemic response. Para dito ba itong intel gathering ng PNP (Is this the intent of the PNP's intel gathering)? Are they preparing to red-tag the initiative and the people behind it?" Gaite raised.
The alleged profiling and red-tagging of organizers of community pantries have started to affect the distribution of free goods to pandemic-hit families, with at least two of the volunteers announcing that they will temporarily stop their operations due to safety concerns.
Ana Patricia Non, who started the community pantry initiative in Maginhawa, Quezon City, announced that they are pausing their distribution because of the red-tagging.
Non also said that at least three policemen had asked for her contact details and whether she belonged to an organization.
On Tuesday, April 20, Arellano announced that the Pandacan community pantry will also suspend its operation following a "commotion" with police. She also expressed concern for her family's security.
Brig. Gen. Leo Francisco, the chief of the Manila Police District, was reported denying having ordered the supposed profiling of community pantry organizers.