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To keep crowds away, Duterte proposes schedule of community pantries in barangays
To keep crowds away, Duterte proposes schedule of community pantries in barangays
Operating hours should be set aside for the community pantries in barangays to avoid large crowds during the coronavirus pandemic, President Duterte proposed Wednesday.
According to the President, implementing a schedule should be put in place to ensure the people can get access to the essentials without the risk of getting infected with the virus.
He noted that physical distancing of people can also be enforced when the pantry operations follow a certain schedule within a barangay.
"You are correct there kung i-barangay-barangay ninyo but it would be easier really to control even the spacing can be at least enforced to the barest minimum," Duterte said during a televised address Wednesday, April 28 after listening to the report of Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año.
"You can always schedule it for the purok so iilan lang 'yang maglinya (so only a few would line up), then after that the sitio will be the next venue and the third is so forth and so on," he added.
Duterte also reminded local government officials to help ensure the safe and organized conduct of the food pantry operations. He bewailed that some barangay officials do not assist in the orderly community pantry due to their "ignorance."
"What they just do is just to show to the people that they care but they do not really care because of their ignorance," he said.
Community pantries have recently sprouted in Metro Manila and other provinces as the country reels from the economic fallout from the pandemic. Food and other essential items have been donated to these pantries to assist those in need during these trying times. The local food banks have generated long lines of people, some were even given tickets for alleged breach of curfew and other quarantine rules.
In the meeting with the President, Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año bared the guidelines for the operations of community pantries, including prohibiting politicians from displaying their names and images in project banners and posters.
He said pantry organizers do not have to secure permits but must coordinate their operations with the local government units to ensure compliance with safety and health protocols.
The President also directed anew local government officials to implement the quarantine rules to curb the spread of the coronavirus. He warned that officials who fail to enforce the law could face possible administrative and criminal complaints.