{"id":1153,"date":"2016-09-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-09-26T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/master.k8s.p4.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/press\/1153\/groups-urge-president-duterte-to-wage-war-on-waste-and-pollution\/"},"modified":"2019-11-06T17:05:04","modified_gmt":"2019-11-06T09:05:04","slug":"groups-urge-president-duterte-to-wage-war-on-waste-and-pollution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/press\/1153\/groups-urge-president-duterte-to-wage-war-on-waste-and-pollution\/","title":{"rendered":"Groups Urge President Duterte to Wage War on Waste and Pollution"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

27 September 2016, Quezon City. Green groups today urged President Rodrigo Duterte to wage a \u201cWar on Waste\u201d and lay down an ecological and just waste and pollution prevention and reduction regime that protects public health and the environment a matter of national priority.<\/p>\n

At a press conference in Quezon City, the groups exhorted the government to fast track the promulgation of policies, regulations and plans that it vowed to do to safeguard human health and the environment from the onslaught of wastes and pollutants.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The groups, composed of BAN Toxics, EcoWaste Coalition, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, Greenpeace and Health Care Without Harm, represent the waste cluster of the Green Thumb Coalition (GTC), a broad alliance of Philippine environmental NGOs. Last April 2016, along with other \u201cpresidentiables\u201d then-Mayor Duterte ranked as the third most progressive presidential candidate based on GTC\u2019s environmental survey questionnaire.<\/p>\n

The groups recalled that last April 18, in response to GTC\u2019s pre-election questions, then presidential aspirant Mr Duterte wrote: \u201cthese (survey\u00a0 responses) will be translated into a program of action with specific activities implemented and\/or initiatives started in the first six months of the Duterte administration.\u201d<\/p>\n

September 27 marks President Duterte\u2019s 90th day in office. However, halfway into his first six months, the groups observed that addressing waste issues do not seem to figure as among the administration\u2019s top priorities. Among the issues cited were: solid waste and plastics pollution, thermal waste-to-energy facilities, pollution prevention, electronic waste and the Canada waste issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving laws that outline the country\u2019s waste pollution problems are not enough if serious implementation is lacking. Rather than curing the problem with stop-gap measures, we urge the Government of the Philippines to address pollution through prevention measures at source, such as a pollution disclosure policy required of industries. Public access to information on industrial emissions not only identify problems at source, but also address the people\u2019s right to know.\u00a0 Similarly, looking into requiring closed-loop production of electronics would minimize negative effects on the informal waste sector by requiring manufacturers who profit the most to also take responsibility for the e-wastes generated,\u201d said Abigail Aguilar, Greenpeace Detox Campaigner.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hope that this government will take plastic pollution, particularly its leakage into our waterways and marine environment, more seriously, and hold manufacturers and producers into account.\u00a0 The proliferation and increase of single-use, disposable plastic products and packaging and its problematic disposal increase the burden of already-taxed local governments to deal with these problematic products on their own, as well as pave the way for the highly-toxic burning of plastic residuals in cement kilns and drive the irresponsible call to lift the incineration ban.\u00a0 We call on the President to include a national ban on single-use plastic bags among his top legislative priorities,\u201d stated Froilan Grate, Asia-Pacific Coordinator, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hope the President promptly lends support to the \u201cwar\u201d Secretary Lopez is waging against enemies of the environment, especially against those who seek to sneak enacting policies such as the \u2018Waste-to-Energy\u2019 Guidelines that are deleterious to the environment as well as people\u2019s health, and also in clear violation of the Clean Air Act and the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act,\u201d said Ayeth Enrile, Medical Waste Campaigner, Health Care Without Harm.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore elections, President Duterte was vehemently against Canada\u2019s dumping. He now needs to show he is a person of decisive action when it comes to waste,\u201d said Anna Kapunan, Campaigner for BAN Toxics. \u201cThe President should ensure that all the trash is immediately re-exported, that Canada accepts it, and Filipino taxes are not spent for its return. Also, the President should do as he promised and ensure the Basel Amendment ratification is a priority agenda of the Senate, in order to prevent any future dumping.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the last three months, waste concerns have taken a back seat to \u2018bigger\u2019 environmental issues and many of the campaign promises related to the enhanced enforcement of Republic Act 9003, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, have yet to be realized.\u00a0 We hope to see real solutions to our garbage woes sans incineration gaining more traction in the coming days and that Secretary Lopez will make good on her promise to go after non-compliant local government units,\u201d noted Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition.<\/p>\n

The groups enjoined President Duterte and Secretary Lopez to jointly wage the \u201cWar on Waste\u201d and for the entire society to support it.<\/p>\n

For more information, please contact: <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Lea Guerrero
\nlea@bantoxics.org<\/a>