The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) on Tuesday expressed a "sincere apology" after making a Facebook post apparently linking community pantries to the communists.
In a statement, QCPD director Brig. Gen. Antonio Yarra said he "does not and will never allow alleged red-tagging" after his police district drew backlash from the public for sharing a controversial post on its official Facebook account.
"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," QCPD's statement read.
It added QCPD is also verifying the legitimacy of Facebook Page Peace Philippines, which made the original post.
"We are now reaching out with the organizer/outlet manager as the QCPD is very much willing to support the noble cause especially in this time of pandemic," the statement added.
QCPD said its "leadership" already reminded their social media handlers "to be more circumspect and sensitive in their functions to protect the interest of the people and to sincerely serve the public."
"We do not discredit any groups instead we encourage BAYANIHAN (solidarity) spirit in support to Mayor Joy Belmonte’s united stance to address the needs and plight of the people amidst the pandemic," Yarra said.
On Tuesday, Ana Patricia Non, the proponent of Maginhawa Community Pantry, announced they would temporarily stop the operations of her project due to safety concerns following the red-tagging incident, among other reasons.