House OKs bill banning single-use plastics

THE House of Representatives has approved House Bill 9147 on second reading, Thursday, June 3, 2021, which regulates production, importation, sale, and use of single-use plastics and shifts the responsibility on producers to recover plastic waste to prevent leakage to bodies of water and harm the environment.

Negros Occidental Third District Representative Jose Francisco " Kiko" Benitez is chairman of the Technical Working Group (TWG) that consolidated 42 bills and resolutions balancing interests of the industry, consumers, and the environment.

"It's been a challenging work as TWG chair to balance the interests of the industry, consumers, and the environment. In the end, the health of the planet has to prevail," Benitez said, as he thanked Speaker Lord Alan Velasco and Chairperson Glo Labadlabad and the 106 co-authors of House Bill 9147 for their support throughout the painstaking process of drafting and approving this bill.

"It's been two decades since the first bills were filed to expressly ban specific single-use plastics -- the 18th Congress is committed to finish the job," Benitez added.