Rappler
Esperon: Gov’t looking into pantry organizers’ possible links to rebel groups
National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. stated that the government is investigating potential links between community pantry organizers and rebel groups.
He clarified that the investigation would focus on organizers whose organizations might be traced as front organizations of the CPP-NPA.
Esperon also indicated a desire to examine the involvement of personalities who may have ulterior motives, potentially using these projects for political agitation.
The pioneering community pantry in Maginhawa, Quezon City, organized by Ana Patricia Non, was temporarily shut down on April 20 due to alleged red-tagging.
Other community pantry organizers have also reported profiling and monitoring by some policemen.
Following public backlash, the Quezon City Police District apologized and offered assistance to community pantries.
Topics in this story
Explore more stories about these topics.
🤖
This story was generated by AI to help you understand the key points. For more detailed coverage, please see the news articles from trusted media outlets below.
News Sources
See how different news organizations are covering this story. Below are the original articles from various Philippine news sources that contributed to this summary.
National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) spokesperson Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. confirmed that they are profiling community pantry organizers.
Read more →
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.
Read more →
Supreme Court Associate Justice Rosmari Carandang will question National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. regarding the alleged "red-tagging" of community pantry organizers.
Read more →
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.
+2
Read more →
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.
+1
Read more →