Mandaue wet market buyers urged to bring own eco-bags

Mandaue City wet market vendors like fish vendor Belen Bacarisa (right photo) will start to lessen their use of plastic bags as they sell their fish and other vegetables with the strict implementation of the plastic ban starting today (Monday). (CDN PHOTO/ JULIT JAINAR)

Vendors in the Mandaue City public market are encouraging their customers to bring their own eco-bags when they buy their goods and supplies especially fish and vegetables there.

The vendors gave this advice amid the strict implementation of Mandaue City government’s ban on plastic bags and styrofoam starting Monday (today).
Belen Bacarisa, a 53-year-old fish vendor and a resident of Barangay Tribunal, Mandaue City who has been selling fish for 40 years, said it would be difficult not to use plastic bags in selling fish.

“Lisud og dili maggamit og plastic labi na isda ang sulod, pero maayo nga magdala ang mamalitay og bag (It is very difficult if we do not use plastic bags especially for the fish. It is better that customers would bring their own bags),” said Bacarisa who claimed to have been a plastic vendor, too, when she was 7 years old.

In an attempt to mitigate flood problems in the area, Mandaue City Mayor Gabriel Luis Quisumbing recently announced that he would implement a 2010 ordinance banning retail establishments from using and distributing disposable plastic bags and styrofoam starting today.

Instead, they would be required to use paper or other reusable types of bags, he said.

Bacarisa admitted that she is already aware that the city will start implementing the plastic ban ordinance, but she did not know that it will start today.

She said that it would be difficult for them not to use plastic bags because of the products they sell.

She said that she would use 100 plastic bags in selling fish in a single day.

Mandaue City wet market vendors like fish vendor Belen Bacarisa (right photo) will start to lessen their use of plastic bags as they sell their fish and other vegetables with the strict implementation of the plastic ban starting today (Monday). (CDN PHOTO/ JULIT JAINAR)

Ordinance No. 12-2010-562 states that the indiscriminate throwing of plastic and styrofoam in public places has largely contributed to the city’s clogged drainage system, resulting to flooding.

All stores, shops, eating places, food vendors, carenderias and sari-sari stores within the jurisdiction of Mandaue City are covered by the ordinance.

“Any violation of the requirements set forth in the ordinance shall subject the owner/s of stores, shops, eating places, food vendors and retail food vendors, sari-sari stories or carenderias with a fine of not more than five days or both, such fine and imprisonment to the discretion of the court,” the ordinance said.

“Ang angay gyud unta panakpon kanang mga naninda og plastic (The local government should instead regulate those who sell these plastic bags),” Bacarisa added.

She, however, said that she would still use the remaining plastic bags that she had.

Fish buyer

Pantaleon Ouano, 72 years old and a resident of Banilad, Mandaue, bought two kilos of fish yesterday at the Mandaue public market.

Two plastic bags were used for the fish he bought.

Ouano recalled that long ago, they would place the fish in “buli” (a string of buri).

“Sa unang panahon mamalit mig isda amo na ituhog sa buli. Unya karon lisud na man na mahitabo kay problema mana kun magtulo unya mosud kas imong sakyanan (In the past, we would string them in a buri thread but it would be difficult now because the fish would drip in the car),” Ouano said.

Although he is not against the implementation of the ordinance, Ouano said that there are times when one cannot bring his or her own bag.

“Dili man gud sa tanan panahon magdala-dala ta. Usahay pabor-pabor lang atong pagpalit og isda sama aning gikan ta manimba (We cannot bring our own bags to place the fish at all times. There are times when we cannot bring them like when you attend Mass before buying fish),” Ouano said.
Vegetable vendor Alvin Cortes said he was against the implementation of the plastic ban ordinance.

He said using a paper bag for his vegetables would be difficult for his customers, especially if the customers would buy plenty of vegetables.
He said the paper bags would not be strong enough to hold them.

Cortes, instead, called on customers and vendors alike to learn to discipline themselves in disposing their plastic bags.

“Naa ra gyud na sa tawo unsaon nila pag-dispose ilang plastics. Mas maayo ilang hiposon aron magamit pa nila sa sunod pangumpra (It would all depend on the person how they would dispose their plastic bags. It would be better if they would just reuse these plastic bags in their next trip to the public market),” he said.

Joy Taneo, a customer who bought hotdogs and longanisa yesterday, was seen bringing her own eco-bag at the Mandaue public market.

Taneo said that it has already been her practice to bring reusable bags every time she goes to the market.

Taneo said that consumers should learn to discipline themselves, bring their own reusable bags to stores and dispose their garbage properly because garbage that are not properly disposed are the root cause of flood.