NGOs urge City Council to hasten ordinance on food recycling

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Non-government organizations (NGOs) working on eradicating hunger in the Philippines encouraged the Cebu City Council to hasten the passing of an ordinance making food donation and food recycling systematic.

Pamela Baricuatro, executive director of Simply Share Foundation, faced the City Council on Tuesday, December 10, 2019, for a public hearing on the proposed ordinance of Councilor Alvin Dizon to reduce food waste through food donation and food recycling.

She said that at least 33.3 percent of food produced in the country would only go to waste, but this surplus food had the potential to feed at least 12 million hungry mouths.

She called on the council to help establish more food banks in the city that would collect the surplus food from establishments like supermarkets, restaurants, and production warehouses to distribute these food to those in need such as orphanages, homes for the aged, and prison houses.

“We welcome this ordinance that would help reduce food waste and feed the hungry. We need regulations so that more food banks can be established,” said Baricuatro.

Baricuatro’s non-government organizations (NGOs) also sought the help of the City Council to fund their program as Simply Share Foundation was already collecting donated food, but funds its own logistics and transport of the surplus food.

She said the tricky part in food recycling was ensuring that the food nearing its expiry would be consumed by the beneficiaries immediately.

Councilor Raymond Garcia, the council’s committee on budget and finance, said the city was willing to help NGOs.

The city plans to allot P20 million for funding NGOs in the city in the proposed P10.4 billion 2020 budget.

Garcia said the city had the funds to help to NGOs especially one that was set to alleviate the city’s hunger.

For World Wide Fund Policy Specialist, Leizel Stuart-Del Rosario, the ordinance of Dizon would help in bridging the food to the hungry.

“Most legislations are cyclical, but what we need are legislations that are systematic,” said Del Rosario.

Councilor Dizon said in session that all suggestions of the organizations would be taken into consideration for the final draft of the proposed ordinance.