Alcover not giving up on ordinance banning plastic bags in Cebu City

Alcover said he will continue to pursue the ordinance and will ask for procedures from the Mandaue City government, which implemented the banning of plastic bags in their jurisdiction since July 2016. (CDN FILE PHOTO)

After not getting the approval from the city council regarding the total ban of plastic bags, Cebu City councilor Pastor Alcover Jr. is now thinking of other options as he looks to collect ordinances from other Local Government Units (LGU) to help prove that it can be implemented in the city.

In an interview, Alcover said that he will still continue to pursue the ordinance and will ask for procedures from the Mandaue City government which implemented the banning of plastics in their jurisdiction last July.

“There might be another legislative means that we can create. Mandaue City made it. I’m still waiting for a copy from Mandaue on how they did it. Then someone said to me that this was also implemented in Olongapo” Alcover said.

In a proposed ordinance, Alcover moved to create a policy for the total prohibition on the use plastic bags and its by-products that cause major problems in the city while promoting the use of products that are less harmful to the environment.

However, Committee on Laws Head and Councilor Raymond Alvin Garcia asked Alcover to be “more creative” since there’s no national law that totally bans the use of plastic by penalizing offenders.

“If there is no national law banning plastics, then a local ordinance cannot just ban it outright. Perhaps, it can regulate, but it cannot ban” Garcia said.

“I kept looking for a national law but I cannot find that there is one banning plastics. So maybe, they can be more creative in perhaps not banning it. If you go to some (places) even in Manila, what they do is that, if you use plastics, they will fine you” Garcia added.

Currently, there is an ordinance that prohibits the use of plastics in malls around Cebu City every Saturday.

The proposed ordinance states a penalty of P500 for the first offense, P1000 (2nd offense), P1500 (3rd offense) or an imprisonment of 5 days of both for a person or group caught violating provisions.

While business establishments caught violating the ordinance will be fined P1500 (1st offense) P2000 (2nd offense) and P5000 (3rd offense) or the cancellation of the business permit issued by City Hall.