SEVERAL youth groups decried the accusation of government-linked groups that community pantries are instruments for communist propaganda.

The College Editors Guild of the Philippines said the government is politicizing the initiative and baselessly accusing organizers as communists.

“CEGP condemns the National Task Force on Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict and the Philippine National Police for red-tagging these community pantries, accusing them of politicizing the noble cause,” CEGP said in a statement.

“These agencies should consider that not all noble deeds have hidden agendas — some just want to help the impoverished or marginalized. Community pantries grew in popularity because of their pro-poor appeal, not due to some politics,” it added.

Ana Patricia Non, the woman behind the first community pantry in Maginhawa, Quezon City, temporarily shut down the initiative on Tuesday, April 20, after her interrogation by the police.

The guild stressed that red-tagging such initiatives discourages the very quality that Filipinos are known for — “the community and helpful spirit of the Filipino.”

“It is ironic how the government promotes such ‘bayanihan’ in excuse for their incompetency in the government for not helping the plight of their constituents, then later red-tags these initiatives to discourage these trends,” it said.

“This only goes to show how the government is so out of touch with its people — the Duterte administration refused to address the very issues that Filipinos are facing daily, especially during the pandemic, so now the Filipinos did it themselves,” it added.

The National Union of Students of the Philippines, meanwhile, said attacks against community pantries initiated by ordinary people are “unacceptable in the face of widespread unemployment and poverty in the country.”

“Oportunista talaga itong NTF-ELCAC, mismong ang inisyatiba ng mga mamamayan ay minamasama at ginagawa pang plataporma upang i-red tag ang mga organizer ng community pantry. Umusbong ang mga community pantry sa iba’t ibang panig ng bansa upang matulungan ang mamamayan dahil sa gutom na dulot ng kapabayaan ng gobyerno sa pandemya. Sobrang nakakabastos itong ginagawa nina Parlade sa mga gusto lamang tumulong,” NUSP said.

The group urged Filipinos to defend organizers of community pantries. It also called for the abolition of NTF-ELCAC.