Part two
IN my August 18, 2021 Make Sense column, “Practical solution to unclog waterways,” I discussed our proposed solution to clean the rivers, creeks and other water tributaries in the metropolis of all types of waste, in light of Congress’ approval of House Bill (HB) 9147, or the Single-Use Plastic Products Regulation Act, which is premised on the fact that clogged waterways are major causes of the country’s perennial floods.
I explained how enacting a local ordinance and getting people involved in a community-based solid waste disposal program can be a win-win solution that can help all affected sectors to stop indiscriminate disposal of solid waste on water tributaries. This would practically do away with the need to legislate a law to regulate the use of single-use plastic. After all, it’s not only plastic waste that clog our waterways—we also see used tires and old refrigerators, among other wastes clogging our rivers and creeks.
A practical solution to the problem, where anybody who can provide a photo of a person throwing, in flagrante, solid waste into rivers, creeks and other water tributaries will be rewarded, and the person in the photo will be cited and fined for the misdeed. The fear instilled in the public mind of being cited and fined, if somebody takes a photo of people throwing garbage into rivers and creeks, will be a good deterrent to violations against the environment. We saw how the CCTV cameras strategically installed along main streets instilled fear among the drivers that they significantly helped reduce the number of reported traffic violations. Moreover, the reward for the person who took the photo, which would come from the fine paid by the transgressor and equally shared by the photo shooter and the local government, will be a source of alternative income for those involved in the program.
As promised in my earlier column, let me explain how our proposal can really be a win-win solution for consumers, the environment and the industry sector, even without the proposed Single-Use Plastic Products Regulation Act. The ultimate goal of the Act is to shift from single-use plastic to biodegradables.
However, this would significantly increase the cost of goods, since biodegradable materials cost more to produce and requires more time to develop than plastic. With a price-driven Philippine consumer market, the shift would affect poor consumers the most, particularly the “tingi” market, or consumers who can only afford to buy sachet-packed products.
This is the reason why a wide array of products are already available in sachets. From cooking ingredients, to coffee and sugar, to health-care products, among others. This allows poor consumers to buy these products based on their limited budget.
Plastic has also become the most convenient and cheapest packaging material ever discovered; the reason why some, if not many, advanced nations still allow the use of plastic today. And with the demand for online delivery on the upswing because of the pandemic, imagine how foods ordered online would be packed and delivered by riders to consumers still hot or cold without plastic.
And how would vendors at wet markets pack fish or meat products without plastic? Life without plastic is difficult in a third world country like ours.
The shift from single-use plastic to biodegradable from the manufacturers’ viewpoint would be costly and time consuming. With the industry sector still struggling to survive amid the pandemic-triggered recession, factories that have no available resources to retool might have to fold up. Moreover, factories that use plastics for product packaging would also be adversely affected by the shift to biodegradables. Thus, the impact of the Single-Use Plastic Products Regulation Act to industry, labor, economy and poor consumers would be ultimately damaging. This would only make life harder for all affected sectors of society.
It is in this context that all sectors must try to help find solutions to the clogging problem of rivers, creeks and other waterways in the metropolis. Concerned government officials must likewise weigh all the factors causing the problem, instead of just using their mandated authority to choose the easiest and fastest solution by just legislating the Single-Use Plastic Products Regulation Act. They should try to explore other solutions in consideration of the adversely affected sectors.
Most importantly, it’s not plastic’s fault that rivers and creeks are clogged. The blame lies in all irresponsible and insensitive people who indiscriminately throw their waste into rivers and creeks. These people may not know it, but they are the ones causing the floods. These people should be fined because the government is spending billions of pesos every year to unclog the waterways.
As Chairman of the Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI), our group would like to appeal to President Duterte and the gentlemen and ladies of both Houses of Congress, to at least try our proposed solution to save our waterways, before legislating a law to regulate single-use plastic. With the government’s favorable consideration to our proposal, the Federation assures its full support and participation in this endeavor, even as we seek government help to enact a common ordinance for all LGUs to facilitate the execution of our proposed reward-driven solution to unclog our rivers, creeks and other waterways.
After giving our best to the program and we find our proposed measures not enough to address the problem, the Federation will not oppose, but will instead actively support all government programs to address our problem of clogged waterways.
Dr. Jesus Lim Arranza is the chairman of the Federation of Philippine Industries and Fight Illicit Trade; a broad-based, multisectoral movement intended to protect consumers, safeguard government revenues and shield legitimate industries from the ill effects of smuggling.