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House probe sought on 'profiling,' 'red-tagging' of community pantry organizers
Bayan Muna Party-list Representative Carlos Zarate and the Makabayan bloc are pushing for a congressional inquiry into the alleged red-tagging and profiling of community pantry organizers by government agencies and officials.
The Makabayan lawmakers filed a resolution on Wednesday, April 21, calling for the House Committee on Human Rights to investigate the harassment.
This action follows accusations that police red-tagged community pantries, linking them to the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People's Army.
Zarate criticized government officials for harassing individuals involved in community pantries, questioning if acts of compassion amid hunger have become criminal.
He specifically directed inquiries to the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the National Task Force to End the Local Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) regarding their stance.
The harassment has reportedly led some organizers to temporarily halt operations, with the Maginhawa Street pantry closure cited as an example.
Community pantries, pioneered by Patricia Non on April 14, allow people to donate and take food from sidewalk stalls, with similar initiatives blooming nationwide.
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Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez urged the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to investigate the alleged red tagging of community pantry organizers.
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The pioneering Maginhawa Community Pantry temporarily suspended operations due to alleged red-tagging by the Quezon City Police District and the National Task Force to ELCAC, leading to safety concerns for its organizers and volunteers.
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The National Privacy Commission (NPC) has strongly condemned the "unjust profiling" of community pantry organizers, calling them "heroes of this pandemic" and stating that such actions may violate their right to privacy.
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Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Police General Debold Sinas has ordered an investigation into police personnel allegedly involved in the profiling and red-tagging of community pantry organizers.
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Eight senators across party lines condemned the red-tagging of community pantry organizers by the police and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
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