Guevarra: Improper for authorities to interrogate community pantry organizers unless there’s violation of law

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Tuesday weighed in on the alleged police profiling of community pantry organizers.

In a message to reporters, Guevarra said a person “voluntarily doing an act of kindness and compassion toward his neighbor should be left alone.”

“It is not proper for law enforcement agents to interrogate him unless there is reason to believe that he is violating any law, ordinance, rule or regulation for the good or welfare of the community,” he said when asked whether requiring organizers disclose personal details to the police would violate privacy rights.

The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) said those setting up community pantries should “be allowed to freely go on with their activities” since there is no law or any administrative regulation that prohibits them from doing so.

The NUPL, however, asked lawyers and law students “to take turns in helping protect community pantries from police harassment.”

“The mere presence of armed policemen in such peaceful and lawful activities has no factual and legal justification and is deemed unreasonable and may even be interpreted as harassment that tends to sow fear among the organizers and the people they are helping,” it said.

Asked to comment on suggestions to have lawyers present in the pantries, Guevarra said, “Organizers of community pantries have no legal duty or are under any compulsion to fill out any forms, as these are not considered business, much less illegal activities.”

“So the presence of lawyers at the sites, in my opinion, is unnecessary,” he said.

Concerns over alleged red tagging have forced Ana Patricia Non, organizer of the Maginhawa Community Pantry which has since been replicated in other areas, to temporarily halt operations for the safety of its volunteers.

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Police General Debold Sinas has since denied the allegations, adding they have no intention to interfere with the activities of the community pantries.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, meanwhile, said police and local government interference should be limited only to ensuring that minimum health and safety protocols are observed.

“Since this is a purely voluntary and private initiative, we should not interfere except to ensure that minimum health standards are complied with,” he said. — RSJ, GMA News