Community pantries

QC pantry ordered shut reopens following talks with barangay

Dwight de Leon

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QC pantry ordered shut reopens following talks with barangay

(UPDATED) Barangay Laging Handa allows the community pantry along Scout Dr. Lazcano Street to resume operations

Ina De Dios

(1st UPDATE) 'Helping doesn’t mean that you have to compromise the welfare of your neighbors,' explains village chief Jose Maria Rodriguez

A community pantry in Quezon City that was told by the barangay on Tuesday, April 27, to close has been the given the go-ahead by village officials to reopen, following the intervention of the city government.

Organizer Ina De Dios initially received news from Barangay Laging Handa on Tuesday that her week-old pantry along Scout Dr Lazcano Street would have to cease operations, as the barangay wanted to consolidate all pantries into a single area, according to its letter to her on April 26.

In a text message to Rappler on Wednesday, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said the barangay met with De Dios earlier in the day to resolve the matter.

“I got them together to discuss their respective issues. The [barangay captain] was getting complaints from [residents] of early morning noise from the pantry crowd…. Mistake of [barangay captain] is he wrote a formal letter without dialogue or explanation,” Belmonte said.

De Dios meanwhile said the barangay office allowed her pantry to reopen as long as she relocated to a nearby area suggested by village chief Jose Maria Rodriguez.

“I was very adamant about not having it centralized due to the long queue it would cause and having it at a neutral zone as to not being affiliated with any organization, church or politician,” De Dios said.

“We finally reached a compromise. We would be allowed to continue the pantry if we moved to a different area. [Rodriguez] gave me contact of who may be open to helping us with the relocation,” she added.

The pantry resumed operations on Friday, April 30, in its new location at the new Alpha Massage building along Tomas Morato Avenue corner Scout Lozano Street. The building owners offered De Dios to use the area for free.

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Speaking to Rappler on May 4, Rodriguez asserted that he played a proactive role in securing the new location for De Dios’ pantry, having facilitated discussions with the building owners.

He also confirmed that complaints from homeowners about early morning noise and garbage left by people falling in the line in the pantry prompted him to order a pause in De Dios’ operations.

“I did not just decide one day [that] I won’t allow [her] there without any reason. I did not say that perpetually, you won’t be allowed to do it. Helping doesn’t mean that you have to compromise the welfare of your neighbors,” Rodriguez said.

De Dios’ community pantry along Scout Dr Lazcano Street opened on April 20, but she had sent a formal “written notice” to the barangay office on April 25, in compliance with guidelines on community pantries released by the Quezon City local government unit (LGU) on April 23.

In his reply letter to De Dios dated April 26, Rodriguez said he could not grant her request.

“I also manifested my plans. The barangay had very limited manpower. Could you imagine having three pantries in one place, considering that the barangay has so many tasks other than maintaining order in these pantries? We have clearing, traffic management, and COVID-19 response,” Rodriguez explained on May 4.

“When I say consolidate, I will look for a place and I will let them operate…. The reason why I chose [St. Paul the Apostle Church as a location] is not because it’s a church, but because it’s located in an area wherein we will not be able to affect residents when we have the long queues,” he added.

De Dios has thanked Belmonte for intervening, and added that the temporary closure was a blessing in disguise.

“Since our closure, we’ve been receiving even more donations than ever, and now we will also have better visibility,” she said on April 29.

Rodriguez guaranteed the barangay and De Dios were able to move past the incident.

“It’s always good to help, and Filipinos are known for the bayanihan spirit, and community pantries are a good idea,” he said. – Rappler.com

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Dwight de Leon

Dwight de Leon is a multimedia reporter who covers President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the Malacañang, and the Commission on Elections for Rappler.