LGUS push passage of policy on national single-use plastic
LOCAL government units (LGUS), through ordinances, are pushing for a national law that will comprehensively and effectively address single-use plastics, advocates said during a recent joint webcast by Cebu Technological University and The Climate Reality Project Philippines.
“As of 2019, 489 cities and municipalities, or about 30 percent of [LGUS] in the country, have some form of policy to regulate the use of plastics, particularly plastic bags,” said Ian Soqueño, Anti Single-use Plastics lead of Climate Reality Philippines. The webcast was the second episode of Klima Ug Kalikupan, a news release said.
Citing data from the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC), Soqueño said the local ordinances have different scopes, different definitions of singleuse plastics and different sanctions.
He also noted that all regions in the country, except in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, have LGUS regulating plastics.
Pending bills, existing laws
SOQUEÑO noted that two bills were filed in the 17th Congress that sought to address the concern on single-use plastics.
House Bill 9147, or the proposed Singleuse Plastic Products Regulation Act, was already approved on third reading at the House of Representatives. It was a consolidation of about 40 bills that aims to phase out and eventually totally ban the use of single-use plastics in the country.
It also mandated companies or plastic producers to create programs and measures that will manage plastic waste. However, it did not flourish in the Senate. “[The Senate] wanted the extended producer-responsibility scheme,” making the House create a bill that would “complement the Senate bill,” Soqueño said, pertaining to Senate Bill 2425 and House Bill 10696, or the Extender Producers Responsibility Act.
The consolidated bill that solely focused on extended producer responsibility schemes has been approved by both houses of Congress, but may lapse into law after no action was made by President Duterte.
Soqueño also lamented the failure of concerned agencies to fully implement Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
“Had we implemented this law right, we wouldn’t have this much of a problem on plastics,” he said.
He explained that the law mandates the NSWMC to formulate and update a list of Non-environmentally Acceptable Products (NEAPS) and determine a phase-out period for the products.
While the law has been in effect since 2000, it was only last year that the NSWMC released a list of NEAPS.
“It’s not even a promulgated list. It’s a draft list ... that was not yet approved by the agencies that advise the Commission .... Twenty-two years since the law was enacted, the draft list includes only two items—plastic soft drink straws and coffee stirrers,” he lamented.
Banning single-use plastics is not anti-poor
SOQUEÑO pointed out that there are ways to shift to more sustainable systems without leaving low-income families behind, the Climate Reality news release said.
“A lot has been said about the advocacy against single-use plastics being anti-poor and that it will not help Filipinos who could only afford products in sachets .... Even before sachets, we have working systems on these kinds of products, such as refilling systems,” he explained.
He shared how multinational companies are circumventing the definition of singleuse plastics. They do not consider sachets as single-use plastics because they are composed of other materials other than plastics.
“This is why bills were designed to include an eventual phase-out of singleuse plastics instead of an outright ban. This way, we can promote the development of eco-friendly products and develop alternative systems and approaches, such as refilling systems and zero-waste sarisari stores,” he said.
He added that the government should find ways to address gaps, including those who will lose their jobs because of the ban of single-use plastics.
Roxanne Doron, founder and executive director of Bisdak Pride, supported Soqueño’s position.
“It [sachet system] is destructive. Our old system of tingi-tingi used to be sustainable but this has been destroyed by multinational firms. I have traced the history of this profit-centered drive from companies that has resulted in this waste problem,” Doron said.
Waste management in Cebu
DORON noted that a conference in April aimed at finding solutions to Cebu’s 30-year garbage problem.
“In the conference, the city government expressed that they will embark on a people-driven solid-waste management. It is commendable because the leadership should guide the people on solid waste management. If your leadership is good, people will follow. Since Mayor Michael Rama is about to start his mandate, I hope that there is follow-through,” he said.
Doron noted that Cebu City already has ordinances in place to address the plastic problem. These include the ban on plastic shopping bags on Wednesdays and Saturdays and the prohibition of foam food containers and single-use plastics in all public events in the city.
“The bigger question is why is it that there is still waste around the city? The problem here lies in the supply because if you cut the supply there will be less supply. We have ordinances on waste disposal but we do not have restrictions on waste production,” Doron said.
The Cebu City Council enacted an ordinance last year totally banning all single-use plastic materials in all business establishments. However, the ordinance still needs the signature of the local chief executive.