COVID food pantry operators draw accusations of communism in the Philippines

Manila, Philippines — Julie Ann de Leon is homeless and jobless. At 52, she also has four children to feed. She used to make up to $15 per day helping drivers of jeepneys, the Philippines' version of mini-bus taxis, find passengers in Manila. But coronavirus lockdowns have upended the public transport sector, and De Leon is lucky now to bring home 75 cents in a day.  

When she learned that food aid was being distributed by private citizens to help other members of the community get through the pandemic downturn, she wasted no time. On Friday she walked three miles to get to the community pantry in the Maginhawa neighborhood of Quezon City, a suburb of the capital, where she spent four hours in line. "I'd be thankful for whatever is given. If it's food that's enough only for a day, that's still a huge help for us," she told CBS News.