Tesda seals deal with PNPto upskill IPs, former rebels
QUEZON CITY--- As the Plastic-Free July is observed this month, green groups renewed their call for a comprehensive ban on singleuse plastics (SUPs) after detecting lead, a toxic chemical, in locallymanufactured yellow colored plastic sando bags.
According to an investigation conducted by the EcoWaste Coalition, 17 out of 39 brands of yellow plastic bags sold in packaging stores in Manila were found to contain lead ranging from 184 to 3,485 parts per million (ppm) based on X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) chemical screeni ng.
“Our findings add to the growing body of evidence showing plastic bags are a threat to human health and the environment because of the many chemicals, including toxic metals such as lead, that make them up," said Jove Benosa, Zero Waste Campaigner, EcoWaste Coalition.
"Now more than ever, we see the need for a comprehensive policy banning throw-away plastic bags to reduce their manufacture, prevent chemical and waste pollution, while the use of non-toxic reusable bags and containers are actively promoted and supported,” he added.
Retired chemist Sonia Mendoza, Chairman of Mother Earth Foundation, pointed to the need for a “toxics in packaging disclosure law that will control the presence of lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium and other chemicals of concern in packaging materials,”adding that “lead and other hazardous substances in packaging materials become part of the municipal solid waste sent to dumpsites, landfills, incinerators and cement kilns or disposed of in water bodies, posing a risk to public health and the environment.”
Environmental lawyer Gloria Estenzo Ramos, Vice-President, Oceana Philippines, stated “SUPs should be included in the decades old delayed list of nonenvironmentally acceptable products and packaging (NEAP) that the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) is mandated to release, as clearly required by Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.”
“We strongly urge the NSWMC, chaired by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and which is under the Office of the President, to draw up the long-overdue list of items that are ‘unsafe in production, use, post-consumer use, or that produce or release harmful by-products when discarded,’ with SUPs on top of the list,” she said,
Added Mendoza, a former NGO representative to the NSWMC: "The Commission should also ensure that the waste management plans of local government units include a provision promoting and making available to the public reusable bags made of non-toxic materials such as abaca, bamboo, buri, cotton, pandan, water hyacinth and similar materials to replace SUPs, noting that 7 out of 10 Filipinos are for banning SUPs as per SWS survey. We do not recommend paper as the material to replace SUPs."
According to the groups, the production and sale of lead-containing plastic bags goes against DENR Administrative Order 2013-024, also known as the Chemical Control Order for Lead and Lead Compounds, which prohibits the use of lead in the manufacturing of food and beverage packaging, particularly for packaging that comes directly in contact with food.
The groups also cited Article 11 of the EU Packaging Directive, which provides a limit of 100 ppm by weight for the sum of four restricted metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium and hexavalent chromium in packaging or packaging components. (PR)
CAMP CRAME, Quezon City - The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) signed here on Monday, July 13, 2020, a memorandum of agreement (MOA) that aims to empower the Indigenous People (IPs), former rebels, and other members of far-flung communities in the country.
TESDA was tasked to upskill police officers who will be visiting remote communities to train residents on agriculture and other technical-vocational courses.
The MOA, which was signed by TESDA Secretary Isidro Lapeña and PNP Chief Police General Archie Francisco Gamboa, states that TESDA and PNP will carry out education and training; trainers development; facilities and equipment-sharing for training and assessment; and competency assessment and certification under the existing rules and regulations of both agencies.
In his speech, Lapeña admitted that TESDA does not have enough trainers and training schools to reach far-flung communities and having the PNP officers will help address the challenge.
"With this arrangement, the government can train more of our special clients and develop their skills for employment or livelihood, and uplift their quality of life and their communities," he said.
Lapeña also shared with the PNP the two-pronged strategic thrust which is used by TESDA trainers all over the country as a guide on empowering their students.
"May you keep in mind the Global Competitiveness and Workforce Readiness; and Social Equity for Poverty Reduction. Skills trainings are meant to capacitate people to find new paths for development among themselves, their families, and their community as a whole. Education and training can create those new paths, and we need capable trainers to deliver them," he added.
Meanwhile, Gamboa believes that PNP's cooperation with TESDA is timely as the Filipinos need to balance livelihood and health during this pandemi c.
"Harnessing technical education and skills could be one of the logical solutions to help our people to get back on their feet," he said.
During his speech at the PNP-12's flag ceremony last June 22 in General Santos City, the TESDA chief expressed the agency's readiness to provide free skills training for police officers to capacitate them on becoming trainers of various technical-vocational courses for the remote communities of the country. (TESDA)