THE Baguio Regreening Movement welcomed the results of the solutions forum and write shop which the City Environment Parks Management Office (Cepmo) presided to create specific suggestions to be entered in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) for City Ordinance 35 or the “No plastic and styrofoam use” ordinance which started last week.
BRM chairman lawyer Erdolfo Balajadia reiterated the importance of the IRR to be harmonized with the ordinance and the City's Environment Code so portions which are not appropriate may be substituted, amended or revised.
"This should be made as an amendment to the city's Environment Code because if this will not be done by the city council, they would be passing ordinances left and right disregarding the Environment Code.
They should consider passing ordinances which will amend the provisions of the code," Balajadia said.
The scheduled write shop and solutions forum was well attended with representatives coming from the business sector, academe, religious groups and private citizens who actively participated in crafting proposals for the IRR.
"The discussions were really very passionate but the bottom line was that everyone was in agreement that we have to do something about plastics.
We presented them with the global and Philippine scenario and based on the Philippine scenarios, the Philippines is the third country pollutant in relation to plastics," City Environment and Parks Management Office Head Cordelia Laxamana explained.
The drafting of the code started in April 2012 which compiled existing environment-related ordinances enacted by the City Council related to the conservation, protection, enhancement, utilization and rehabilitation of the city’s environment including the management and administration of its natural resources.
Other provisions include more attention on high-risk areas mainly the protection and management of lands within the city focusing on protected areas covering national parks, natural monuments, natural parks, protected landscapes, resource reserves, strict nature reserves and wildlife sanctuaries.
Laxamana, who once headed the Solid Waste Management in the city until 2012, estimated half of the city’s solid waste are plastic materials.
Ordinance No. 35-17 prohibits business establishments from providing any customer any plastic bag or polystyrene foam container for goods or items purchased or serving food or drink, take out or dine in to customers in polystyrene containers or in plastic bags and will cover all business activities and establishments in the city including city government schools and offices.
Balajadia and Laxamana also back the possible purchase of molding machines for plastic materials.
"At the moment, we do not have an equipment to be used for the re-purpose of plastics that maybe turned into plastic chairs and tables since there are no industries in the city engaged in this business, but one of our proposal in the IRR is the re-purposing of plastics and this maybe considered," Laxamana stated.
Balajadia recalled during his stint in the City Council, he proposed to the city to acquire a machine which could re-use plastics to be turned into plastic chairs, tables and pails but this was not considered.