Maginhawa community pantry to continue despite Red-tagging, says organizer

Ana Patricia Non refills the Maginhawa Community Pantry on Thursday, April 15, 2021, which she set up to help people who are badly affected by the pandemic and have difficulty finding food to serve on their tables. The pantry accepts donations like canned goods, vegetables, vitamins, and face masks, among others, from kindhearted individuals as those are essential for sustenance and survival. The pantry is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.  INQUIRER/GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

MANILA, Philippines — The Maginhawa community pantry will continue despite incidents of police profiling and Red-tagging.

So declared the woman behind the popular initiative that took neighborhoods across the country by storm, firmly believing that far more people need the pantry in order to survive the pandemic than those who merely criticize it.

Ana Patricia Non even urged critics to join – at best, establish their own community pantry in their respective neighborhoods.

“Tutuloy po namin kasi mas marami ang nangangailangan kaysa sa nagbabatikos,” Non pointed out during an online press conference Tuesday.

“Hindi ko rin kina-cancel out ‘yung mga nagbabatikos. Instead, welcome na welcome sila sa community pantry ng Maginhawa o kung saan sila. Kung hindi naman kaya, mas maganda kung magtayo sila para first-hand experience,” she added.

On Monday night, Non announced the pantry’s temporary closure over “Red-tagging” on social media.

One of the screenshots included in Non’s Facebook post showed that the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, which has been previously involved in Red-tagging controversies, shared posts saying the community pantries are being used for propaganda of communist groups.

Also on Monday, netizens have also called out police officers allegedly profiling organizers of community pantries in the city of Manila.

“Walang masyadong worry sa Red-tagging kasi pure na pure ang intention ng community pantry at wala siyang judgment. Kung ganyan ang pananaw nila, sige lang, basta subukan lang natin buksan ‘yung puso at isip natin,” Non said.

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Debold Sinas has denied issuing orders for the police to profile organizers of community pantries.

KGA