Malacañang stands with the National Security Adviser’s (NSA) gag order on National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) spokespersons Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade and Communications Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy who have both come under fire for comments red-tagging the community pantry organizers.

In his virtual media briefing, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque affirmed the Palace’s decision to side with NSA chief Hermogenes Esperon after several senators called for the abolition of the NTF-ELCAC, which was created to stop insurgency activities in the country.

“Yes. We’re just asking that we should know our policies, we welcome the community spirit of these community pantries. We are asking all our officials to be careful with what they’re saying; they need to widen their perspectives,” he said in Filipino.

Esperon gave the gag order after Parlade and Badoy made disparaging remarks against the food-sharing initiative organized by Ana Patricia Non, a University of the Philippines (UP) graduate, in Maginhawa St., Quezon City.

Badoy told donors to ask where their money went and hinted that the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) was taking advantage of the movement.

Parlade is in similar hot water as the NTF-ELCAC on several occasions reposted on Facebook claims by some groups and individuals that the community pantries are organized by communist groups.

Parlade said some netizens are alerting them that the community pantries have placards criticizing the government. He added that they want to check on these.

After several senators criticized Parlade, the NTF-ELCAC spokesperson called some members of the Senate “stupid,” leading several senators to call for the abolition of the task force. Senator Ping Lacson, a supporter of the NTF-ELCAC, said he has to think twice about the task force’s budget.

“Well, tingin ko naman po alam ng ating mambabatas na ang programa ay may ibang rationale kaysa dun sa tumatayong tagapagsalita (Well, I think our senators know that the program has a different rational compared to the spokesperson),” Roque said.

He has already talked to Esperon and he confirmed telling both Parlade and Badoy to remain calm and be more careful with their statements.

Since Non started the community pantry in Quezon City, similar ones have sprouted all over the country, to as far as Zamboanga province. In Metro Manila, there are over 80 community pantries while more than 300 others are across the country.

The pantry has a give-what-you-can, take-what-you-need approach. In one such pantry, pictures show a taho vendor providing free cups of taho (silken tofu with syrup and tapioca pearls) to people who were gathering food items and other provisions.