Villar supports ban on plastic

Sen. Cynthia Villar welcomed reports indicating that President Rodrigo Duterte is considering a nationwide ban on the use of plastic.

Villar, chair of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, said the ban is urgent in the face of a study showing the Philippines as one of the world’s largest producers of plastic wastes that end up in the ocean.

“With the President taking the lead in this campaign, I am confident we will be making a significant headway and finally remove us from that disconcerting title as one of the world’s largest producers of plastic wastes,” Villar said.

Villar made this statement during the tree-planting and clean-up activity she spearheaded in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources at Bgy. 649, Gasangan, Baseco Compound.

Also present in the activity were representatives from the Department of Health, Department of Social Work and Development, Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Bureau of Soil and Water Management, Department of Education, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Maynilad, Kabalikat sa Kaunlaran ng Baseco, DZRH, MBC, and barangay officials of Gasangan.

A 2015 report on plastic pollution conducted by the international group Ocean Conservancy and McKinsey Center for Business and Environment ranked the Philippines as the third biggest source of plastic leaking into the oceans, following China and Indonesia.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has also warned that if plastic pollution is not addressed, by 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean.

“The fish will eat all the plastic and they will all die and our ocean will become virtual desert,” Villar said.

Villar authored Senate Bill No. 333 or the Single-Use Plastic Product Regulation Act of 2019, which seeks to regulate the manufacturing, importation, and use of single-use plastic products.

“With our dependence in agriculture, plastic pollution also poses a grave threat in our food security. Disaster risks and hazards arising from plastic pollution may put farms at risk of flooding resulting in wastage of agricultural products along with its threats to a balanced ecology. Micro plastics leaked in our bodies of water may also put public health at risk as it gets into our food chain,” Villar added.

The Nacionalista Party Senator also noted the practice of buying products in sachets that made the plastic waste problem worse.

“Hindi naman natin masisi ang mga tao kung ang kaya lang bilhin ay yung sapat para sa ilang araw lang na gamitan. But we must put pressure on the corporations that produce these products to come up with a program to recycle these wastes and minimize impact on the environment,” Villar said.

Under the bill, the issuance of the single-use plastics by food establishments, stores, markets, and retailers will be prohibited. Consumers will also be diverted to use reusable materials and manufacturers will be mandated to collect, recycle and dispose of single-use plastics manufactured and/or in circulation in the general market. Importation of single-use plastics will no longer be allowed.

For each piece of single-use plastics already manufactured, in circulation, and for use in transaction, retailers shall charge the consumer a minimum levy of P5.

Violation for business enterprises, micro, small and medium enterprises will have penalties ranging from a fine of P10,000 to 100,000 and suspension or revocation of business permit.

For VAT registered enterprises, establishments, and store, and for all plastic manufacturers found violating this act will have penalties ranging from a fine of P100,000 to P1 million and suspension or revocation of business permit.

The bill also creates a Special Fund for Single-use Plastic Regulation composed of collected tariffs, levies and fees.

Among others, the fund will be used for the establishment of recycling centers, and assistance and incentives for manufacturers and community-based initiatives for the reduction of single-use plastics, as well as for non-government and civil society organizations promoting proper solid waste management.