MANILA, Philippines — The setting up of community pantries is people’s way of telling the government to “step up” and “do better,” two senators said on Monday.
“Hope in the darkest of times,” opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros wrote on Twitter.
“This is also a sign that the government needs to #StepUp. Hindi pwedeng at hindi kayang saluhin ng taumbayan ang gobyerno forever,” Hontoveros added.
Several communities pantries, initiated by young entrepreneur Ana Patricia Non along Maginhawa Street in Quezon City, have sprung up to help feed those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The pandemic has left many people jobless and locked inside their households as government imposed strict quarantine measures to stop the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
Senator Panfilo Lacson, in another tweet, reiterated that the community food pantry “is an inspiration born out of desperation.”
“It is a selfless act of people, unwitting they may be, are telling government to do better,” Lacson said.