Mindfully Greenie
Forgive the adoption of the famous Aldub lingo. It’s borne out of an exasperation of the way we still don’t face our role in this gargantuan issue in our throw-away society.
We still have to see a widespread sense of caring from citizens in ensuring that no one and our natural support systems are harmed where these ‘discards’ eventually end up. The thrash-filled plastic bags that adorn utility posts or thrown in streets are visible manifestations of such awful lack of care and sense of responsibility.
Public events never fail to attract thousands of tons of waste that attendees leave mercilessly behind for trucks to bring to dumpsites that likewise fail to comply with the standards set by the law, RA 9003, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
We also see this lack of mindfulness about discarded materials in government and corporate offices, and even some universities where the system for waste management leaves much to be desired. There is no adherence to the mind set of segregation and minimization as mandated by the law and some local ordinances.
We long for the day that not only consumers but manufacturers and producers will expand their sense of duty not just towards their stockholders or the owners, but to the community and the planet as well. We can cite exemplars of sustainable production such as a Filipino enterprise Human Nature which produce organic products and collects the customers’ used product.
We cannot feign ignorance that we are notorious for our mindless disregard of our trash. The international community has taken notice of such. The science journal published last January the study “Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean” where the Philippines placed a disconcerting third place of having the most number of plastic wastes thrown into the ocean.
Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator of the EcoWaste Coalition, says that “almost fifteen years of poor implementation of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act (RA 9003) and unheeded calls for national ban on the undoubtedly problematic and persistent plastic bags apparently helped a lot in putting the country at the 3rd place in the study’s embarrassing list.”
“It should be a wake-up call”, says Ms. Lucero, to which we of course agree.
Dr. Jenna Jambeck of the University of Georgia, the study’s lead author, said in a news report in a more visual way that “the quantity entering the ocean is equal to about five plastic grocery bags full of plastic for every foot of coastline in the world.” (www.asianjournal.com)
Where is the mighty voice and arm of government in all these maelstrom?
Local governments, which have the principal mandate of implementing RA 9003, continue to sideline the waste nightmare. Violators among constituents are not held accountable or are allowed to pay a measly sum as fine. Did the imposition of the penalty change the person? There is much doubt.
Most local government units still have to craft the required ten-year solid waste management plan with participation from stakeholders, as a basic road map to effective and ecological solid waste management. Where are the supervising authorities of these LGUs that should already have ensured that they act in accordance with law?
Unfortunately, what was uppermost to most was the budget for the garbage collection, which institutionalizes the pervasive “toss and throw” mentality of indifference.
A Commission on Audit annual audit report released in 2014 covering the 17 local government units of Metro Manila revealed that the total garbage collection expenditure for 2012 reached P4.1 billion, with Quezon City spending the most. (www.mb.com.ph)
It is odious to spend hundreds of millions for garbage and not even that much for schools, health, sanitation, livelihood and environmental management.
Worse, our defaulting local officials are allowed to get away with such obvious dereliction of their duties. A motley number of citizens, still rather few, managed to send notice to sue to the local chief executives. Yet, these fell on deaf ears, for some reason.
Is there hope?
A recent development initiated by a constitutionally created body, the Ombudsman, gives us reason to think that this will finally trigger the much-needed prioritization of the waste problem by each LGU.
Last week, the Ombudsman announced the on-going investigation into the gross failure of 50 cities and municipalities involving 600 local officials in addressing the gargantuan garbage headache.
Included in the investigation are those from Bogo City and Compostela in Cebu.
More LGUs should have been included, as only a handful has complied with RA 9003. But the Ombudsman perhaps wants this initial investigation to serve as a warning to future respondents to shape up.
An unsolicited advice to our local chief executives: Devote one day to study the provisions and the clear intent of RA 9003. It is meant to institutionalize a system for waste minimization and a mind set of caring for our environment among our people. Other LGUS, such as San Francisco in Camotes Island, have done it and have even created more empowered and ecologically conscious residents. Surely, you can do it.
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