Gen. Debold Sinas, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), ordered on Wednesday, April 21, an investigation on all policemen involved in the profiling of organizers of community pantries, as well as those police personnel who are using official police social media accounts in sharing memes or other posts that red-tags those who initiate or supervise them.
PNP spokesman Brig. Gen. Ronnie Olay said it was the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) which was attend to the complaints of organizers of profiling while the Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) was directed to look into social media posts against community pantries using PNP social media accounts, including those at the police station level.
“It was the act of getting information from the organizers of the police which our Chief PNP wants to be investigated. Their presence in areas near the community pantries is only to ensure peace and order,” said Olay.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, April 19, Sinas denied that it is profiling or red-tagging organizers of community pantries after the Maginhawa Community Pantry in Quezon City was forced to suspend its operation due to red-tagging allegations.
Videos of policemen quizzing community pantry organizers about their group affiliation and the purpose of the setting up the community pantries also circulated in the social media.
But on the same day, Army Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade, spokesman of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), confirmed that they are conducting background check on the organizers of the community pantries, saying that they could be used to encourage the people to revolt against the government.
Parlade was also quoted saying that the community pantries served as an avenue for some organizers to tell the beneficiaries that the government mishandled the coronavirus pandemic response which led a number of Filipinos to go hungry.
But Olay, for his part, said he could not speak for the NTF-ELCAC and said that the statement that they are not profiling or red-tagging the organizers of community pantry only covers the PNP.
“I can only speak for the PNP. Whatever the activities of the NTF-ELCAC are not my concern. What our Chief PNP said is that we do not conduct profiling or engage in red-tagging,” said Olay.