THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) hosted a plastic reuse and recycling activity in San Fernando City, Pampanga.
Over 500 residents attended the event along with the government employees as part of the annual Manila Bay day in a “Refill Revolution” event to promote the economical way of reusing and recycling plastic materials and to save the historic Manila Bay from plastic pollution.
The DENR, in a press statement posted on its Facebook page, said that Paquito Moreno, Jr., executive director of the DENR, stressed that the problem on plastic pollution becomes worse every day and it has begun to negatively impact the natural environment and create harms for plants, wildlife, and even to the entire human population.
Moreno said that last year’s coastal cleanup around the globe reveals that plastic bottle was the top two items collected with more than 1.5 million items.
These were collected in the oceans and along the beach while there were also three million plastic bottle caps, plastic grocery bags, plastic lids, straw, stirrers, and other plastic bags, he added.
“Now, what is the common with these items? They are plastic,” he stressed.
It can be recalled that the Supreme Court issued a writ of continuing mandamus on December 18, 2008, to 14 government agencies including the DENR in the cleanup of Manila Bay recognizing the right of every Filipino citizen to a balanced and healthful ecology.
Manila Bay day is celebrated every 18th day of December of each year to raise public awareness and call to action on the importance and protection of Manila Bay.