No plastics-policy embraced by San Fran

CEBU, Philippines - San Francisco in the Camotes group of islands is just a third class municipality and yet, first class towns and cities have a lot to learn from it in terms of political will, leadership and a culture of responsibility among members in the community.

While the legislative councils of other cities have yet to approve the regulation on the use of plastics by the consumers, San Francisco’s folks have been implementing it last February 1, after a one-month intensive information campaign at the household level.

San Francisco’s leaders were after a change of mindset among the people rather than implementing a law. So the passage of an ordinance on this policy even came only after the implementation.

Go buy something from the public market and vendors would refuse to hand you the usual plastic bags that clog our drainage systems. Either you bringing your own reusable bag, or buy one from the market.

Not only that. Whatever remaining plastics that find their way to the town’s garbage segregation and collection unit are being shredded and made into pillows, a recycling practice that is giving the town additional income.

Orders of these pillows have arrived in droves, so much so that the Municipal Government is mulling the purchase of a bigger shredding machine. Other than the pillows, some recyclable plastics they collect are being mixed with locally made hollow blocs.

This is just one of the many trailblazing practices of the communities in San Francisco, which recently got an award from the United Nations for their preparedness against disasters.

 A mechanical engineer who never dreamed of joining politics, three-term mayor and now vice mayor Alfredo Arquillano could still not believe his small town won against huge cities like Vancouver in Canada, Sta. Fe in Argentina and other far more advanced places in India, Pakistan, and Central America. The jury was composed of one representative from each continent.

“They had the best tool, the best theories. But we had the strategy to make things work,” said Arquillano.

 Other finalists of the UN Award had the usual top-down, centralized management approach. What made San Francisco different from all of them was its people-approach, the empowerment of communities through the “purok system” wherein rules are being implemented by leaders of clustered households.

“Yes it’s true Cebu has been lucky to have been spared so far from disasters. But this does not mean we are exempted. Let’s pursue a culture of safety and prevention,” said Arquillano. — (FREEMAN)