Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 15)— Marine and environmental groups urged the Philippine government on Friday to implement a comprehensive national policy that would force manufacturers and companies to cut their plastic packaging production.
“We call upon our companies to promptly adhere to the law. The government must also engage in meaningful dialogue with communities and corporations to swiftly implement the transition towards reducing and replacing plastic packaging with sustainable and eco-friendly solutions,” Robert Ray Medrano, Campaign Coordinator of Earth Island Institute Asia Pacific, said ahead of International Coastal Clean-up Day on Saturday.
A study published in 2021 by the Science Advances journal found that seven of the top ten plastic-polluted rivers in the world were in the Philippines.
The Philippines is the biggest contributor of plastic waste leaking into the ocean, with 4,820 of its rivers emitting 356,371 metric tons of waste per year, it said. However, that’s only 8.8% of the country’s overall plastic waste contribution, it added.
The groups said laws to reduce plastic use have not been properly implemented and companies have failed to follow regulations.
RA 11898 \”Extended Producer Responsibility Act of 2022\” and the RA 9003 “Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000,\” both encourage waste management and plastic reduction.
“Disturbingly, every year, approximately 100,000 dolphins and whales suffer tragic fates due to plastic ingestion and entanglement in discarded fishing nets.” Medrano added.
A coastal clean-up operation was conducted at the Las Piñas – Parañ aque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA) inline with the theme \”#SeaTheChange.\”
They were joined by Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), Kabataan Partylist-Pasay, and other groups.
\”The cleanup also serves as the group’s protest to the government’ s inaction to the ongoing reclamation in Manila Bay. Fisherfolk from Cavite and Navotas reported the continuous reclamation and dredging, despite the verbal suspension order of President Marcos Jr. last month,\” Pamalakaya said in a separate statement.
