The Department of Health is pushing for a unified guideline on the rollout of community pantries to avoid infection from COVID-19.
“We need to look at the other side, that it also imposes a risk to our citizens because of these lack of standards that are being complied with when you have these community pantries,” Health Spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an interview.
“We all know that there is this pandemic and public health emergency. We have to be mindful of what can result from any activity or help that we are going to provide,” she added.
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Community pantries have sprouted all over the Philippines offering items for the needy and welcoming those who have more in life.
Vergeire said the DOH has no authority over the operations of community pantries and will not recommend the closure of these charity hubs.
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“We are not going to restrict this kind of activity because it is a big help to our citizens but we have to be aware and we have to be cautious of the consequences of these actions,” she said.
“We’re just there to give standards for health pero ang sinasabi lang po namin, maganda po ang intention nito pero kailangan susunod pa rin tayo sa mga protocols,” she added. (TDT)
