The Fourth
The truth behind
the Pantry Movement
by Marian Abio
Indeed, the act of kindness ignited a widespread change but even though community pantries symbolize the collective action of Filipinos to help one another during the pandemic, they prove the alarming negligence of the government to provide for its citizens.
Citizens of Purok 4 bustled on Monday morning as they prepared to open their community pantry. The older women worked hand in hand—dividing the vegetables, repacking rice, and putting up signages of health protocols. Young volunteers kept the growing line in order, maintaining the social distance amongst the residents.
Calling themselves the HAMER Angels, the team spearheads community projects such as reaching out to donors, initiating backyard gardening, and extending donations to nearby communities.
“Ang regular na tinutulungan namin ay nasa 300 [families], pero sa buong barangay, talagang mas malaki ang population,” Rose Toledo, head of the group, said. They have been reaching out to the poorer sectors of the barangay, including farmers living nearby.
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“Kaya lang, kinikilala namin na hindi talaga lahat ay kakayanin [bigyan],” she added.
Their collective sense of volunteerism runs deep—starting in 2003, when they were still starting to build their community.
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From the Meralco Line Property in Quezon City, the Homeowners Association of Meralco Relocatees Inc. P4 (HAMER Inc. P4) transferred to San Mateo, Rizal after their homes were demolished to give way to a new construction site. Around 62 families were relocated while others stayed back to find a new place to live and continue their jobs.
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A year into the pandemic, the barangay has taken the brunt of the health crisis, the economic decline, and the recent typhoons. In fact, 25,000 families from Rizal had to evacuate during Ulysses in 2020
“Unang una sa lahat, wala kaming pambili. Pangalawa, walang mabili. Tapos hindi kami makalabas,” she added. Although under the less stringent general community quarantine, it is difficult for them to acquire goods, especially without their own transportation. The farmers in higher areas have it worse due to vulnerability to the impact of storms and due to inaccessibility. They have to come down to the city to purchase and sell goods, or donations have to be taken to them.
“Ngayong pandemic, yung iba nag-uulam na lang ng mangga. Yung mga nagtatanim ng talbos, nag-aabot sila,” Maryjane Crame, another member of the HAMER Angels, shared. That is why they started their own community pantry.
After seeing Patricia Non—the organizer of the Maginhawa community pantry—on TV, they were inspired to put up the same initiative. From the first community pantry, there are 898 more in the Philippines to date—8 of which are in San Mateo, Rizal according to the Community Pantry PH Public Data. In the area, 3 are located in Barangay Silangan.
“Unang una sa lahat, wala kaming pambili. Pangalawa, walang mabili. Tapos hindi kami makalabas,” she added. Although under the less stringent general community quarantine, it is difficult for them to acquire goods, especially without their own transportation. The farmers in higher areas have it worse due to vulnerability to the impact of storms and due to inaccessibility. They have to come down to the city to purchase and sell goods, or donations have to be taken to them.
“Ngayong pandemic, yung iba nag-uulam na lang ng mangga. Yung mga nagtatanim ng talbos, nag-aabot sila,” Maryjane Crame, another member of the HAMER Angels, shared. That is why they started their own community pantry.
After seeing Patricia Non—the organizer of the Maginhawa community pantry—on TV, they were inspired to put up the same initiative. From the first community pantry, there are 898 more in the Philippines to date—8 of which are in San Mateo, Rizal according to the Community Pantry PH Public Data. In the area, 3 are located in Barangay Silangan.
Community Pantries in Rizal Province
Source: Community Pantry PH, as of April 28, 2021
“Yung mga taong walang-wala talaga, na hindi makabili ng ano (pangangailangan), may pagkakataon sila na kahit isang araw, maibsan yung gutom nila kaysa magtiis sila ng isang araw,” Crame said.
Indeed, the act of kindness ignited a widespread change but even though community pantries symbolize the collective action of Filipinos to help one another during the pandemic, they prove the alarming negligence of the government to provide for its citizens.
Gross
Neglect
Patricia Non did not expect that her initiative would become such a huge movement. As the financial assistance of the government (or the lack thereof) barely covers the needs of Filipino citizens, Non countered the inaction and sparked a new hope. Still, the truth remains—pantries are not mere manifestations of resiliency but the glaring failure of the state to give aid.
“Ang ayuda namin, nakatanggap kami dalawang beses lang sa buong pandemic. Yung financial, maraming ‘di nakatanggap,” Crame said that they were given in-kind donations, however barely sufficient.
For the community farmers, the assistance they received is downright scarce. They had to call on the local government to bring up resources to them, yet, only 10 packs were given instead of provisions for 20 families.
“Bebente na lang ho yung bahay doon. Hindi niyo pa iniwan yung sampu. Kawawa naman yung hindi kakain ngayong gabi. Kami nga, kahit liblib nararating namin,” she shares of her conversation with the local government officers.
Last May 2020, 4,532 residents of Barangay Silangan were beneficiaries of the Social Amelioration Program out of approximately 52,981 (Rizal Provincial Statistical Office). The year after, the number of recipients increased only to 5,714.
“Hindi kami government employee, pero anong effort ang meron kami, ‘di ba? Sabi namin, nagta-trabaho kayo sa [gobyerno], niluklok kayo diyan. Dapat kung anong binigay sa inyong trabaho, iyon ang gampanan niyo,” she added, with palpable disappointment.
Wake-up Call
To make matters worse, only P22.8B was allocated for financial assistance under Bayanihan 2 compared to the P239.3B in Bayanihan 1. In the 2021 budget, it was further reduced to P18.4B. Such an amount is not enough to provide for more than 18.6 million families from the poorer sectors. This would mean that each family will only receive a measly P989—clearly inadequate given the increase of prices in the market.
Financial Assistance Budget
“Six out of ten Filipino families had gone hungry from these endless and ineffective lockdowns,” Sonny Africa, Executive Director of think tank IBON Foundation, said in a statement.
In fact, about 15 million or 62.1% families in the country experienced hunger in 2020 due to the lack of budget to purchase food, especially within stringent community restrictions. From the 16.6 Poverty Incidence Rate by PSA last 2018, the percentage is expected to rise to 18.7 (World Bank).
With that, IBON amplified the demand to realign the allocation of budget, provide P10,000 financial assistance as immediate relief to poverty-stricken Filipino families, and simultaneously ramp up the pandemic response. Unless governmental action becomes sufficient to combat the virus and supply ample safety nets for the poor, communities like Purok 4 will continue to be victimized by neglect and indifference.
“If the Duterte government did its job, community pantries wouldn’t be necessary. If it keeps on slacking, no amount of community pantries will ever be enough,” Africa said.