Philippine National Police chief. Gen. Debold Sinas said there is nopolicy to designate “planted” civilian beneficiaries to promote the PNP’s own version of community pantries, called the “Barangayanihan” project.
“They have already said that it did not come from them,” Sinas said, referring to the denial of the PNP regional office in Northern Mindanao that it released such an order.
“We do not have such a policy to plan beneficiaries. I think they are just making their own gimmick to be noticed,” he added.
Sinas said he has already directed the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the Anti-Cybercrime Group to look into the leaked internal memo which went viral on social media.
“When I received that report, I instructed the CIDG and Cybercrime to check on that,” he said.
Part of the internal memo reads: “Respective beneficiaries will take pictures of the activity and post in their respective FB accounts. These netizens can be planted beneficiary civilians so as to manifest community’s appreciation.”
A militant party-list legislator, however, slammed what she described as a “tanim-beneficiaries” publicity stunt.
“The police and the military are so fast at accusing that community pantry organizers have a hidden agenda but they are also bent on establishing their own ‘Barangayanihan’ that involves the planting of beneficiary civilians to show ‘community appreciation.’ If our state forces genuinely want to help the people they are mandated to protect, they would immediately stop the threats, harassment and red-tagging against the people and set up community pantries without planting beneficiaries,” said Assistant Minority Leader France Castro, a nominee of the ACT Teachers party-list.
