Archival revives anti-plastic drive at Cebu City Hall

Cebu City Mayor-elect Nestor Archival Sr. posted on his Facebook page on June 4: “Protecting our beautiful city of Cebu—one tumbler at a time.” | Nestor Archival/Facebook

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Bringing a tumbler might soon be part of the daily routine for Cebu City Hall employees, as the incoming administration of Mayor-elect Nestor Archival Sr. plans to revive the city’s anti-plastic policies.

Earlier, Archival said he would require department heads and employees to bring reusable tumblers to work. He cited the excessive use of single-use plastic water bottles in offices during transition meetings.

He also hinted at providing tumblers to department heads to encourage the change.

“Magbutang ta’g (water) dispenser. I think mao niy akong the best nga suggestion. And we are going to request all the department heads—kinahanglan naa moy tumbler,” Archival told reporters in a press briefing.

(We will put a water dispenser. I think this is my best suggestion. And we are going to request all the department heads—you need to have a tumbler.)

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The environmental advocate and incoming city mayor stressed the wastefulness of disposable bottled water in government offices, noting that many bottles end up in the trash still partially full.

“In the future, if we don’t do this, it’ll be even more than Mad Max… In the future, we will fight over water. And that is not something good,” he warned, referring to the dystopian film where survivors fight over scarce resources.

In a Facebook post on June 4, Archival reinforced this direction by sharing a photo of himself holding a tumbler, captioned: “Protecting our beautiful city of Cebu—one tumbler at a time.”

He called on Cebuanos to shift toward reusable alternatives as part of a broader commitment to environmental sustainability.

“This represents a bigger commitment towards our direction of preserving the environment by using a reusable tumbler instead of a single-use plastic cup or bottle,” the post read.

READ: Archival: Cebu City Hall workers to stay during 3-month review

The move echoes a 2018 policy introduced by then-mayor Tomas Osmeña—now vice mayor-elect—which banned single-use plastics inside City Hall, starting with straws and eventually including plastic bags and containers.

Osmeña, in a June 4 Facebook post reacting to Archival’s renewed effort, wrote: “Many small steps make a big difference.”

Archival said the goal is to reduce plastic waste at the source and promote environmental responsibility, starting with government workers.

He recounted how, during recent transition meetings, multiple half-consumed bottles of water were discarded.

“Out of five meetings, six mineral water bottles were thrown away—with some still unfinished,” he said. /clorenciana