Permit not needed for community pantries –DILG's Año

Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año on Tuesday clarified that individuals who plan to set up community pantries do not need to secure permits from local officials.

Año told GMA News Online that organizers of community pantries should only coordinate with their respective local governments.

"There is no requirement for a permit. But organizers must coordinate with the LGUs. This is a local issue and we defer it to the LGU concerned," Año said in a message.

Earlier, DILG Undersecretary for Barangay Affairs Martin Diño said that pantries should have permits given the threat from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Año also ordered police and local government officials not to interfere with community pantries organized by private individuals.

This came after reports of alleged red tagging and profiling of some organizers by police officers in some parts of Metro Manila. The Philippine National Police, for its part, denied that there was a directive to profile organizers.

Año said police officers should only ensure that the minimum health standards were being observed in the community pantries, adding that cops should only meddle if there was a violation of the law.

The Maginhawa Community Pantry, which started the initiative of helping those in need and was later imitated by other individuals and groups, temporarily stopped its services due to red-tagging reports.

Its organizer, Ana Patricia Non, announced that they would resume operations but they first needed to make sure that pantry volunteers were safe. — DVM, GMA News