‘No planting of beneficiaries in PNP pantries’

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) has denied reports that it is “planting” beneficiaries in the community pantries it has set up dubbed Barangayanihan.

PNP chief Gen. Debold Sinas said the beneficiaries of their food bank project for the poor are legitimate.

“Wala kaming... planting,” Sinas told reporters on Tuesday night.

He was reacting to a supposed memorandum of the Northern Mindanao police instructing its units to designate civilian beneficiaries of PNP community pantries and to ask recipients to post selfies on Facebook
expressing appreciation for the assistance.

Sinas ordered the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and Anti-Cybecrime Group to verify the supposed memorandum and the people behind it.

“We will have the CIDG and the cybercrime group investigate those... posts,” he said.

Sinas said the Northern Mindanao police office denied issuing the memorandum.