Spox: Community pantries show bayanihan, not govt failure

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque stated that community pantries are an expression of the Filipino spirit and bayanihan, not a condemnation of the government's pandemic response.

Ana Patricia Non, the initiator of the community pantry movement, sees the pantries as a wake-up call to President Duterte that government aid and income are not enough to support Filipinos.

Opposition Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan views the pantries as Filipinos proactively addressing hunger amid insufficient government aid.

Progressive lawmakers see the pantries as highlighting the government's indifference and failure to help the poor, with one representative calling them an act of resistance against alleged negligence.

Senator Joel Villanueva lauded the "love thy neighbor" practice in community pantries but stated that the initiatives of private individuals were "sadly, an indictment of their government's many weaknesses in giving help."

Other senators said the sprouting of community pantries should prompt the government to improve its COVID-19 response.

The National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) lauded community pantries nationwide for helping provide food for the needy amid the Covid-19 pandemic, citing them as an exemplary example of the "bayanihan" spirit.

The Maginhawa community pantry temporarily stopped its operation after local police and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) shared social media posts accusing community pantries of propaganda, leading the initiator to fear for her life.

Roque acknowledged the slow distribution of cash aid to some areas and appealed for unity, urging the public not to politicize the community pantries during the pandemic.