A year after assuming office, how does President Benigno Aquino III and his administration, including the local government units, score in green leadership scorecard?
鈥淔or sure, there were some environmental pronouncements and initiatives during the past 12 months,鈥� noted Roy Alvarez, President of EcoWaste Coalition.
Over 50 groups affiliated with the EcoWaste Coalition gave the Executive Department under P-Noy an overall grade of 2.65 points out of 10, 鈥渇or not showing decisive interest, leadership and action in preventing and reducing garbage and all its attendant problems.鈥�
Plastic is a huge problem,聽 as shown by recurring floods.聽 The National Solid Waste Management Commission, which is under the Office of the President, has failed to call for public hearings and list the non-environmentally acceptable products and packaging (NEAPs), as mandated by R.A. 9003, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.
EcoWaste Coalition challenged the President to chair at least one full meeting of the Commission,聽 鈥渟ecure its budget and set its direction, prioritizing the calling for public consultation鈥� in coming up with the list of NEAPs.
Citizens from Cebu have sent the commission a second Notice to Sue in June to pressure it to move swiftly. Because of the commission鈥檚 default,聽 local government units have to craft local ordinances to ban or regulate plastic.
Muntinlupa City is trail-blazing as the first highly urbanized city to ban plastics in the Philippines. The result is amazing. While the rest of Metro Manila residents again waded in the water-filled streets last month, Muntinlupa remained flood鈥揻ree.聽 Its mayor, Aldrin San Pedro, was pleasantly surprised that 鈥渢he anticipated flooding in some parts of the city did not happen, with rainwater flowing freely through canals and waterways and making their way to Laguna de Bay. Mayor San Pedro cited Muntinlupa鈥檚 landmark ban on plastics and polysterene containers, which was implemented early this year, as among the factors that kept the city free from flooding.鈥� (Philippine Daily Inquirer, June 25, 2011)
In Barrio Luz, flooding is never a problem according to Ronnie Saba, administrator of the award-winning barangay, Cebu City鈥檚 pride that is now headed by the equally active Kap Rian Tante. The open secret is their much-admired participatory environmental management. The constituents have learned to assume full responsibility for their waste, effectively transforming the garbage crisis into聽 livelihood opportunities in partnership with the city, business sector and civil society.
We commend the聽 Cebu City government under Mayor Mike Rama鈥檚 stewardship for instilling discipline in waste management through the 鈥渘o segregation, no collection鈥� policy. The city can do more. It has to stop duplicating the聽 practice of聽 collecting the biodegradable and recyclable materials as this is clearly a barangay function.聽 The incident involving the barangay enforcement officer who issued the citation ticket to a barangay councilor would have been avoided had the barangays been required to assume full responsibility for the collection of these wastes.
The city has provided the barangays with materials recovery facilities, shredders and the salaries for聽 five barangay enforcement officers. It even buys the organic fertilizers that residents sell on per sack basis for eventual distribution to the farmers.聽 Such incentives augur well for citizens to be more responsible and follow the law.
Soon,聽 the spoiled 鈥渂ratangay鈥� officials, who expect聽 door-to-door delivery of services from the city in waste collection will be unmasked.聽 There is absolutely no excuse for them not to do their job. If Barrio Luz, with its space constraints and heavy population can do it, and do it very well, why are other barangays failing miserably in the law鈥檚 implementation? The reason is traceable to the lack of leadership in mobilizing the participation of the local stakeholders. There is now the necessity for the mayor, as the supervising authority, to hold the lethargic barangay officials accountable. Once cases are filed against them, expect a more livable city.
EcoWaste Coalition has requested the President to聽聽 exercise his supervisory power and authority over the local government units, as the prime enforcers of RA 9003, and to the fullest extent allowed by the law,聽 hold聽 accountable the 鈥渓aggards鈥� among the local chief executives in the implementation of the law. The聽 DENR, which is under the power of control of the President, should already be compelled to close the illegal dumpsites all over the country.聽 RA 9003 has been effective for 10 years. It is time for action.
President Aquino鈥檚 recent visit to Cebu to inaugurate a controversial coal power plant project drove home a point: he still has a lot to do to be the strong climate leader that this 鈥渉ottest of the hot spots in biodiversity loss and destruction鈥� badly needs and deserves.
For every new coal power plant being built here and elsewhere, the specter of more flooding, environmental refugees, sea level rise, escalating food prices and social disorders haunts us as a disaster-epicenter country.
Dr. James Hansen, the noted climatologist who brought the issue of climate change to the world, emphasizes that聽 coal is 鈥渢he single greatest threat to civilization and all life on our planet.鈥� He urges nations to reduce carbon emissions of 6 percent to 7 percent each year to avoid harmful imbalances in the atmosphere.
Coal and other fossil fuels like gas and oil are considered cheap because their destructive effects to our health and environment are not included in the equation. Coal emits polluting gases that are harmful to people鈥檚 health, to our rich biodiversity and severely degraded habitats. Its byproduct, coal ash, contains聽 hazardous metals such as mercury, arsenic, cadmium and聽 lead that not even modern technology can remove.
Prioritizing the use of the clean and renewable energy (RE) from geothermal , solar and wind power is a must.聽 Government has to provide the healthy regulatory environment for RE鈥檚 growth and development. RE will pave the way for society to be weaned from the devastating聽 fossil fuel addiction.聽 We聽 subscribe to the proposal of Dr. Hansen that carbon tax be imposed to change the behavior of stakeholders and to聽 stop our dependency on fossil fuels.
We, the people, have to take the much-needed initiatives to lead the way, in partnership with stakeholders聽 who understand why they have to be done urgently, now.