Maginhawa pantry organizer says she was at first in disbelief when she was red-tagged

Ana Patricia Non said that when she was red-tagged when she started the Maginhawa community pantry, she was in disbelief at first.

In an interview on “The Howie Severino Podcast,” Non addressed several issues surrounding the community pantry, one of which was being red-tagged for it.

“I can’t believe I was being red-tagged for it. I was in denial for days,” she said in Filipino. “The police were there for days, asking me for my number, my organization.”

At first Non said she thought they were just curious or wanted to volunteer and guard the community pantry.

“I found out too late when I got home that they red-tagged the pantry and posted it on Facebook,” she said. 

“I felt bad because I thought we were together in this, every day they see how long the lines are, they see the pure intentions of the donors, volunteers, the people who fall in line, and yet we have this judgment,” she added.

Non said she also learned that they had been asking the vendors what her address was.

“It is true that I have my own opinions but those are not the opinions of the community pantry because it was the community that built it,” she said.

“I could not believe it and I got scared, until now I have fears,” she added.

Non said when she first started the community pantry, she never thought it would blow up.

“My goal when I made my post public, the reason why I shared it, was to reach the Maginhawa area [and] nearby barangays,” she said.

“I did not expect it to go viral and for me to be red-tagged because all I wanted to do was bring some goods, leave, and for other members of the community to do the same,” she added.

Aside from being red-tagged, Non said she also received a lot of threats through chat.

“Many people have sent chat messages calling me a nuisance, saying they know my agenda. So many people sending their chat messages, harassment, I just ignore them because they are not true,” she said.

However, Non said more people had messaged her to show their support.

Nevertheless, she said she was taking extra precaution against the threats.

She said all she wanted to do was focus on the pantry and sustain it.

On “The Mangahas Interviews,” Non said she was hoping President Rodrigo Duterte would order state agents to stop red-tagging and leave in peace her welfare initiative and similar endeavors across the country.

The Maginhawa community pantry, which started in April, had since paved the way for similar efforts nationwide.

Before the end of April, it moved to a bigger and safer location to cater to more people. – Jannielyn Ann Bigtas/RC, GMA News