Barangay development plan includes plastic waste management

CEBU, Philippines —  A non-profit ocean conservation non-government organization, Oceana, has partnered with the Department of Interior and Local Governments (DILG) and the Liga ng mga Barangay-Cebu City to integrate plastic waste management in the Barangay Development Plans of the city’s 80 barangays.

In the course of Barangay Development Planning Workshops recently organized by DILG-Cebu City, Oceana presented the topics that tackled environment protection.

One of the topics being discussed was the overview of single-use plastics as an environmentally hazardous product and Oceana’s Ban on Single-Use Plastic (BSUP) campaign.

There was also a lecture regarding the legal framework of BSUP campaign and/or solid waste management and role of barangays as vanguards of the environmental rights of their constituents.

The organization was presented with the best practices on plastic waste and solid waste management and overview of Cebu City ordinance on BSUP.

More than 400 barangay officials and community leaders from Cebu City barangays attended the workshop.

The policy consultant of Oceana, former Cebu City Councilor Alvin Dizon, has called for urgent and bold action to fight against the plastic crisis and pave the way toward a more sustainable and circular economy.

During his time, the Cebu City Council has passed several legislative measures to address the plastic pollution problem and to shift to recyclable and environment-friendly materials.

One of  these are the ordinance regulating single use plastics in all public events, the ordinance banning the use of plastic grocery bags and the ordinance prohibiting the improper disposal of used facemasks and COVID-19 related personal protective equipment (PPE).

Dizon is the author of those ordinances, and he said that the implementation of these measures are vital to address the worsening plastic pollution in the city which is causing the drainage to clog up and resulting in heavy flooding.

“Most often, the poor or the informal settlers are the ones that bear the brunt of flooding," said Dizon.

Oceana honored the DILG-Cebu City for providing leadership and inspiration in helping mainstream plastic waste management in the grassroots through integration in the Barangay Development Plans of the 80 barangays. — GMR (FREEMAN)