Encouraging developments

The Filipino people can claim victory now that GMA has heeded the protests about taxes on book imports and has ordered the Department of Finance to revoke Finance Department Order 17-09.

Despite the recent lame excuse that is being given for the taxes (supposedly to clarify regulations on book imports as provided by the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines), the DOF should be chided for collecting the taxes without properly investigating the implications of such a policy.

Critics, for example, have raised the legal issue vs the taxes, noting that saying the BoC’s imposing duties on imported books constituted a clear violation of a United Nations world pact forged in 1950, the Florence Agreement, where countries agreed to exempt reading and cultural materials from import duties.

Any government agency should be more careful about initiating any tax policy without proper study as it not only adversely affects our reading population, the recent BOC tax policy again brought shame to our country because the BOC move clearly showed their lack of understanding and respect for the UN Florence agreement.

We wonder if aside from revoking the questionable Department Order 17-09, DOF will return the taxes earlier collected from book importers?

Moving on to another encouraging development, finally, the Cebu City Government, led by Councilor Nestor Archival, will give composting a chance to be implemented!

According to our environmental reporter, Ms. Ferliza Contratista, P8M is being allotted for composting facilities in the northern and southern parts of the city. We are very happy that Councilor Archival was able to convince the City Council to agree to trial-testing composting vs just mere non-segregated collection and landfill disposal of waste. We heartily agree with Councilor Archival, as we have been emphasizing and repeating, that composting is “a simple technology and does not require intensive labor but is seen to reduce organic waste significantly, can help solve the problem concerning dumpsites and landfills, and further promote health and nutrients to the soil.”

It will just be a matter of time before everyone can see the merits of composting. We will also have more organically raised food crops, flowers and other plants. The City will also be able to save millions from waste. More importantly, the health of our people and environment will also be greatly improved.

In time, the students should be encouraged to visit the compost gardens so that schools can adopt more composting projects in their campuses. With more participating and practicing composting (that will also require waste segregation), expect a cleaner, healthier Cebu City soon!!! Expect wiser use of budget that will be released from garbage disposal as well! This composting project is certainly very good news amidst so much crisis-related news these days!

Finally, another encouraging initiative that we hope will really be pursued and effectively implemented will be the proper disposal of waste from hospital and other healthcare facilities in the region. We hope that Department of Health regional director Dr. Susana Madarieta will strictly follow through their policy to require DOH to monitor all hospitals, healthcare centers, clinics, laboratories, blood banks, funeral parlors, medical schools and research institutions to prevent improper disposal of biomedical waste.

With encouraging initiatives that are pro-people and pro-environment, we can certainly look forward to a better today and tomorrow for everyone!