COVID-19 mobile stores: One small step for Maginhawa, a giant leap for the Philippines

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The first community pantry was set by Patricia Non along the Maginhawa St. in Quezon City, Philippines. (Photo from Patricia Non's Facebook page).
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A young man collects food items and other essentials from the Gov. Pascual community pantry in Malabon. (Photo from Facebook page of Nine Louise Tesorero)
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An elderly man smiles after collecting some food items from the Gov. Pascual community pantry in Malabon. (Photo from Facebook page of Nine Louise Tesorero)
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Updated 26 April 2021
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COVID-19 mobile stores: One small step for Maginhawa, a giant leap for the Philippines

  • Community pantries offering free supplies to Filipinos reflects collective spirit, organizers say

MANILA: It began with a small bamboo cart that Patricia Non set up in a quiet corner of Maginhawa Street in Quezon City two weeks ago.

Non’s mobile “Maginhawa food pantry” includes free food items and essential supplies with signage on the cart reminding Filipinos to “give what you can and take only what you need.”

Soon after launching the initiative on April 14, 26-year-old Non said in a Facebook post that her main goal for setting up the pantry was “to assist those reeling from the economic impact of the pandemic by giving out free food items and other basic goods.

“I know that the community pantry cannot address the root cause of hunger, but it could at least provide some relief to the needy,” she said.

The post went viral, and other Filipinos began to replicate Non’s “modest act” too, with hundreds of community pantries springing up across the Philippines to help coronavirus-weary residents with free meals, bringing their “Bayanihan,” or cooperative spirit, to the fore.

One such example is a community pantry set up along Disomangcop Street in war-torn Marawi, which 27-year-old Uthman bin Mohammed, one of its organizers, says has a much deeper significance for them.

Mohammad, who helped establish the Marawi community pantry, said that the initiative resonated with the “essence of Ramadan” — to increase charity and voluntarily help others — besides catering to those affected by the 2017 siege of the city by Daesh-inspired militants.

“Originally, the Marawi community pantry was inspired (by the) Maginhawa community pantry in Quezon City,” Mohammed, a graduate in Islamic Studies from the Mindanao State University, told Arab News.

“Besides that, one essence of Ramadan is to increase our voluntary act of giving. Fasting makes us feel the hunger which is regularly experienced by the poor and needy ... making us realize how important it is to share something with them … so that we may become generous towards one another, which is also a part of our religion,” he added.

Mohammad said the Marawi community pantry, which he set up with his friends and fellow youth from Lanao del Sur, has no sponsor but was being run on cash and voluntary support extended by other people in the community.

Initially, he explained that they had planned to set up the pantry along Disomangcop Street “as it is convenient for now,” especially since a majority of its residents are from the worst affected areas of Muslim-majority Marawi, which bore the brunt of a five-month-long battle between government forces and the Maute Group four years ago.

“They are IDPs (internally displaced residents) who are entitled to such support,” Mohammed said, adding that soon, they “hope to establish a mobile pantry that will cater to more people in other parts of the city too.”

As of Sunday, halal community pantries had also popped up in other areas of Mindanao, including Zamboanga City, Sulu, and Cagayan De Oro City, with the pantries open to non-Muslims as well.

In Malabon, north of Manila, Nina Louise Tesorero, 23, says she was also inspired by the Maginhawa food pantry to set up a similar one along the Gov. Pascual-Baritan Road, drawing from experience gained during a college project called “Pay It Forward” which she started six years ago.

“From my savings, I started giving out food packs on Christmas Eve to less fortunate residents in Malabon,” she told Arab News.

The initiative gained traction, and soon, Tesorero, along with a group of friends, launched fund-raising activities to help residents in other parts of Manila and nearby provinces.

When the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic struck, they assisted jeepney and tricycle drivers in Manila who had lost their source of income after the government announced a lockdown to limit the spread.

They also doled out food supplies, face masks and shields to non-medical front-liners such as food delivery workers and those manning checkpoints as part of the “Pay It Forward” initiative.

“Since it started, the response for the community pantry has been very heart-warming. People come not only to collect but to donate cash, food and groceries as well,” she said, adding: “No matter how small ... whatever amount they give will go a long way.”

However, the community pantry initiative has not been without its share of criticism, with Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade, spokesperson for the government’s high profile anti-communist task force, linking some of the organizers to a communist rebel group.

In one interview, Parlade likened the massive popularity of community pantries “to the work of Satan” and has since received severe backlash for his comments.

In a virtual press briefing on Thursday, Armed Forces (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Cirilito Sobejana declined to comment on Parlade’s statements but emphasized the military’s full support to the ongoing humanitarian efforts.

“We are in turmoil with COVID-19 … We have a lot of problems. Some sectors of our society are locked down, they could not earn a living, so this gesture of feeding our less fortunate brothers is a humanitarian act which your armed forces strongly supports,” he said.

Sobejana added that he had already ordered all AFP units, particularly the Civil Military Operations Unit, to organize and support the initiative.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said: “Regardless of their belief, as long as they are helping wholeheartedly, we will support (them). We are ready to assist if requested by the local government units and the Department of the Interior and Local Government and, if necessary, to deploy the AFP’s mobile kitchens where they are needed.”

Last week, Senator Panfilo Lacson said that the makeshift community pantries could also be “a sign of desperation.

“It is good that through the community pantries, we see mutual aid by neighbors and barangay (village) residents. But this is also a sign of desperation, that people can no longer rely on (the) government to help them,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dindo Manhit, president of Stratbase ADR Institute think tank, told Arab News that the mobile pantry initiative is “how (the) continuing health crisis due (to the) failure in governance and its economic consequences is being addressed by communities through our values of civic culture.

“It is the core of my belief that we will overcome and recover from COVID-19. through a whole of society approach and not (the) whole of government that (President Rodrigo) Duterte’s administration response is built on,” Manhit told Arab News.


After long wrangling, Blinken to testify in Congress on Afghanistan

Updated 3 sec ago
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After long wrangling, Blinken to testify in Congress on Afghanistan

  • Donald Trump drew criticism for shooting video for his campaign at Arlington National Cemetery where he appeared at a ceremony honoring troops killed in the evacuation
  • Democrats have insisted some blame for the messy end of the war should be laid at the feet of Trump, who began the withdrawal process by signing a deal with the Taliban in 2020
WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has agreed to testify publicly at a House of Representatives committee hearing on the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, the panel said on Tuesday, after a long dispute with the Republican-led committee.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul said Blinken had committed to appear at a public hearing on Dec. 11 to discuss the committee’s investigation of the withdrawal three years ago.
The committee and the State Department have been wrangling over Blinken’s appearance for months. Panel Republicans voted in September to recommend Blinken be held in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a subpoena.
The State Department had contended that the panel was provided with large amounts of information, with Blinken testifying before Congress on Afghanistan more than 14 times and the department providing nearly 20,000 pages of records, multiple high-level briefings and transcribed interviews.
McCaul released a report on Sept. 8 on the committee Republicans’ investigation of the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal, blasting Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration for failures surrounding the evacuation.
The issue had become intensely politicized before the presidential election on Nov. 5. In his successful bid for a second term, Republican former President Donald Trump drew criticism for shooting video for his campaign at Arlington National Cemetery where he appeared at a ceremony honoring troops killed in the evacuation.
Trump also sought to pin blame for the withdrawal on Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic opponent.
Democrats have insisted some blame for the messy end of the war — less than seven months into Biden’s presidency — should be laid at the feet of Trump, who began the withdrawal process by signing a deal with the Taliban in 2020.
The issue could become even more politicized after Trump returns to the White House on Jan. 20, after he spoke during his campaign of firing those responsible for the pullout from Afghanistan.

UN probes sexual exploitation allegations against aid workers in Chad

Updated 40 min 58 sec ago
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UN probes sexual exploitation allegations against aid workers in Chad

DAKAR: The UN in Chad has launched an internal investigation, following a report on allegations of sexual exploitation of Sudanese refugees, which included aid workers.

The statement, written days after the story was published, was seen on Tuesday. It said the seriousness of the allegations cited in the AP’s story, warranted immediate and firm measures and that those responsible should be punished.

“Refugees are already vulnerable and traumatized by the events that led them to flee their country and under no circumstances should they be the victims of abuse by those who are supposed to help them,” said Francois Batalingaya, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Chad.

Earlier this month, the accusations were reported by some Sudanese women and girls that men, including those meant to protect them such as humanitarian workers and local security forces, had instead sexually exploited them in Chad’s sites for displaced people. They said the men offered money, easier access to assistance, and jobs. Such sexual exploitation in Chad is a crime.

Hundreds of thousands of people, most of them women, have streamed into Chad to escape Sudan’s civil war, which has killed over 20,000 people.

Sexual exploitation during large humanitarian crises is not uncommon, especially in displacement sites. Aid groups have long struggled to combat the issue, citing a lack of reporting by women, not enough funds to respond and a focus on first providing basic necessities.

Experts say exploitation represents a deep failure by the aid community and that people seeking protection should never have to make choices driven by survival.

The UN said it raised the risk alert level for protection against sexual exploitation of abuse to four, which is very high, especially since Chad was already classified as a country at high risk. 


Albania police fire tear gas, water cannon at anti-government protesters

Updated 26 November 2024
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Albania police fire tear gas, water cannon at anti-government protesters

  • Protesters said they were engaged in a campaign of civil disobedience against Socialist Party Prime Minister Edi Rama
  • “The protests will continue, this is a battle until this regime goes,” Tedi Blushi from the opposition Freedom Party said

TIRANA: Police in Albania’s capital Tirana fired tear gas and used water cannon to disperse hundreds of opposition protesters blocking roads, who accused the government of corruption and demanded it be replaced with a technocratic caretaker authority.
Protesters said they were engaged in a campaign of civil disobedience against Socialist Party Prime Minister Edi Rama. The opposition in Albania have been protesting almost every week demanding a caretaker government step in until parliamentary elections in 2025.
“The protests will continue, this is a battle until this regime goes,” Tedi Blushi from the opposition Freedom Party told local media.
The leaders of Albania’s two biggest opposition parties, Sali Berisha of the Democratic Party and Ilir Meta of the Freedom Party, are charged with corruption offenses and both accuse Rama of orchestrating these. They deny the charges.
Rama says the charges are not politically-motivated and accuses the opposition of trying to seize power with violence.
Berisha is being held under house arrest on corruption charges relating to his time as prime minister. Meta was arrested in late October also on corruption charges for the time when he served as president between 2017-2022.
Rama has been in power since 2013 and plans to run for a fourth term next year.


One killed in Bangladesh as Hindu protesters clash with police over arrest of religious leader

Updated 26 November 2024
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One killed in Bangladesh as Hindu protesters clash with police over arrest of religious leader

  • Chinmoy Krishna Das was arrested from Dhaka airport on Monday on several charges, including sedition
  • India condemned the arrest, saying perpetrators who hurt minorities and desecrated deities remained at large

DHAKA: At least one person was killed in Bangladesh in clashes between security forces and Hindus protesting against the arrest of a religious leader, police said, even as neighboring India urged that the safety of Hindus and minorities be ensured.

Chinmoy Krishna Das, a Hindu leader associated with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), was arrested from Dhaka airport on Monday on several charges, including sedition.

His arrest sparked protests by his supporters in both the capital Dhaka and Chittagong city.

“A Muslim lawyer defending Das was killed amid protests outside the court (in Chittagong),” said police officer Liaquat Ali.

A probe has been ordered into the alleged killing, the caretaker government said in a statement, adding that Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus had directed law enforcement agencies to step up security in the port city.

“The interim government is committed to ensuring and upholding communal harmony in Bangladesh at any cost,” the government said.

Das faces sedition charges filed in October after leading a large rally in Chittagong, in which he was accused of disrespecting Bangladesh’s national flag and was denied bail by a court in Chittagong on Tuesday.

'RAMPAGE'

When Das was being escorted back to prison from court, more than 2,000 supporters surrounded the van, blocking it for over two hours, Chittagong Metropolitan Police Commissioner Hasib Aziz, said.

“They went on a rampage, throwing bricks at us. To disperse the crowd, we had to fire tear gas. No one was seriously injured, but one of our constables was hurt,” Aziz said.

India condemned the arrest of Das, saying in a sternly worded statement that the perpetrators of documented vandalism and arson against minorities as well as those who desecrated deities remained at large.

Hindu-majority India has strong cultural and business ties with its neighbor and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has expressed concern over a spate of attacks on Hindus.

“It is unfortunate that, while the perpetrators of these incidents remain at large, charges should be pressed against a religious leader presenting legitimate demands through peaceful gatherings,” the Indian foreign ministry statement said.

Bangladesh’s foreign ministry, responding to India, said the government does not interfere in the judiciary’s work, and the matter was being dealt with by the court of law.

“The Government of Bangladesh is also committed to upholding communal harmony in the country,” the ministry said. One killed in Bangladesh as Hindu protesters clash with police over arrest of religious leader 


Russian shelling kills two in Ukraine’s Sumy, President Zelensky says

Updated 26 November 2024
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Russian shelling kills two in Ukraine’s Sumy, President Zelensky says

  • Zelensky said in a video on the Telegram messaging app that a rescue operation was underway at the site and more people could be under debris
  • “It is realistic to protect against it only by destroying Russian weapons”

KYIV: Russian shelling killed two civilians in the city of Sumy in northeastern Ukraine on Tuesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Zelensky said in a video on the Telegram messaging app that a rescue operation was underway at the site and more people could be under debris.
City officials earlier said that Sumy, located about 30 km (19 miles) from the Russian border, had been hit by a Russian airstrike at about 12.10 p.m. (1010 GMT). They said a car servicing station, several houses, and an educational building were damaged in the attack.
But Zelensky, citing preliminary findings, later said Sumy had been struck by a multiple-launch rocket system.
“It is realistic to protect against it only by destroying Russian weapons, the Russian launch systems on Russian territory. That is why the ability to strike at Russian territory is so important for us,” Zelensky said.
Russia’s defense ministry said that Ukraine hit Russia with US-produced ATACMS missiles twice over the last three days, adding that Moscow was preparing retaliatory measures.
The war between Russia and Ukraine is at a critical stage, with Moscow reported to be using North Korean troops and Kyiv using Western-supplied missiles to strike back inside Russia.