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By Prince Golez, Manila Reporter
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MANILA – The Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources will hold an investigation into the prevalence of plastic waste in the marine environment today, April 3.
Sen. Cynthia Villar will lead the public hearing to be held 1 p.m. at the Pecson Room.
The hearing will discuss the privilege speech of Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III’s on the Inter-Parliamentary Union – United Nations (IPU-UN) hearing entitled “A World of Blue: Preserving the Oceans, Safeguarding the Planet, Ensuring Human Well-Being in the Context of the 2030 Agenda.”
Despite the enactment of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, Villar lamented the high number of plastic waste being dumped into Philippine seas.
“Bolder and more innovative measures should be undertaken not only by the national government and the local government units, but by all sectors,” the senator from Las Piñas said.
At least two legislative proposals on the regulation of plastic bags use have been filed in the Senate. They are Senate Bills No. 650 and 430 authored by Sen. Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino and Sen. Loren Legarda, respectively.
Citing the Earth Policy Institute, Aquino said discarded plastics are found in landfills and have become a significant cause of water pollution.
“Though the world has gotten used to the convenience plastic provides. I believe in our ability to adjust, innovate, and evolve that our planet in preserved with all its living creatures safeguarded,” he said
Legarda’s bill likewise proposes to prohibit individuals from using plastic bags when carrying or transporting items.
Consumers, however, are allowed to use plastic bags when transporting fish, meat, and poultry products, her measure stated.
“Plastic bags are ubiquitous components of the world’s consumer culture. These nom-biodegradable plastic bags symbolize the throwaway culture which the Philippines along with many other countries, have developed,” the lady senator said./PN
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