When Mandaue City Mayor Luigi Quisumbing implemented last July the ban on the use of plastic bags in business establishments, many viewed the order with skepticism because of the public’s excessive reliance on plastic in their various activities like shopping.
But, much to my surprise, compliance to the ordinance is visible even among the vendors in the public market who were so vocal against the implementation of City Ordinance 12-2010-562 known as the Plastic Bag Prohibition Ordinance of 2010.
The ordinance banned the use and distribution of disposable plastic bags and polystyrene containers such as styrofoam in any establishment in the city, including carinderias (eateries) and sari-sari stores in the entire city.
The main point in the implementation of the ban is to decongest drainage systems clogged with plastic materials and packaging products indiscriminately thrown by residents.
Although it is still too early to declare that the campaign is successful because triumph over implementation of any regulatory policy would depend on the consistency of the executing agency to educate the residents and run after violators and strictly impose fines and punishments.
The compliance to the ordinance among major establishments is attainable, except in that satellite market in Barangay Canduman where a vendor was seen using plastic bag to pack canned merchandise but then wrapped it with a paper bag to make it appear that the establishment complied with the ordinance.
There could still be other tricks employed to evade plastic ban, and nobody knows when these would be discovered by authorities or if ever the city government of Mandaue has enough deputized enforcers to catch the violators.
The major issues presented by those who opposed the ordinance are the strength of the paper bag compared to plastic and the additional cost on packaging because paper wraps cost higher than the plastic packaging material.
The noticeable implementation of the ban in Mandaue City could be the reason why Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña supports the proposed ordinance of a Team Rama councilor following the bid of Mandaue City banning the use and manufacture of plastic wraps in the city.
After three months of implementation and the apparent compliance by major stakeholders, we still have to see the result if it impacts on clearing the drainage system because it still floods in the city especially along A.S. Fortuna Street and other barangays.
At the rate it is going, I am seeing a ray of light for the campaign to attain its goal, and the only blunder that I have foreseen for the project to fail is the loss of fervor and enthusiasm on the part of Mayor Quisumbing in pushing through with the campaign.
Like what we usually see in many government undertakings, implementation of projects would only spark in the beginning and the warmth would immediately die down as soon as the implementers get attracted or distracted to other things.
I hope that the “ningas cogon” mentality would not derail the project and with the hope that the city’s mayor would not succumb to the pressure from those who are inconvenienced by the ban on the use of plastic.