QC pantries violating protocols may be closed down

MANILA – The Quezon City government will not hesitate to close down a community pantry that will cause a Covid-19 outbreak.

Mayor Joy Belmonte assured a proper investigation will be conducted during her meeting with community pantry organizers over the weekend.

“After we released the guidelines (on Friday), after the reminders at hindi pa rin natin naipatupad ang ating mga panuntunan ng lungsod at ng IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force) ay hindi naman tayo magiging epektibong pamahalaan (and still we are not able to enforce the rules and regulations of the city and of the IATF, we will not be an effective government). We still have to do our job and that is to enforce the rules and regulation of our city and of the national government,” she said in an interview over state-run Radyo Pilipinas on Monday

Belmonte herself has been under fire after the April 23 incident in Barangay Holy Spirit where a 67-year-old male vendor collapsed and died after lining up for hours in a pantry organized by actress Angel Locsin.

There were also incidents of people queueing up in pantries even during curfew hours. They were issued violation tickets, a move that was also criticized.

Belmonte reiterated the city will be strict in imposing protocols while balancing the needs of her constituents.

No permits or clearances are required but organizers must submit “a written notice to the barangay where the pantry is located, including indicating the person responsible for its operation.”

Pantry organizers and the village may coordinate regarding reasonable crowd control measures, such as setting a cut-off time for persons in a queue, limiting the number of persons served in a day or for certain periods such as morning or afternoon, and using marshals to enforce health protocols and disperse overcrowding, the city noted in a statement on Saturday.

Belmonte said she constantly reminds teams in charge of enforcing protocols to ensure pantries are complying.

“Me mga media na nagalit dahil nag-enforce tayo, I want to make that clear na first, hindi tayo nagkulang sa pagsabi sa taong bayan na tayo ay mag-e-enforce ng ating patakaran. Pangalawa ito ay alam na alam ng mga pantry (Some media criticized us because we enforced rules. I want to make it clear that first, we were not lacking in reminding the public that we will enforce the rules. Second, pantry organizers already know this),” she said.