DAVAO CITY – Environmental advocacy group Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS) and the Sustainable Davao Movement have expressed gratitude to Mayor Sara Z. Duterte for certifying as urgent the proposed single-use plastic ban ordinance pending before the City Council.
"We intend on writing the City Council to request that the ban of the single-use plastic ordinance be treated as urgent," Duterte said in a radio interview Monday.
The ordinance, authored by Councilor Diosdado Mahipus Jr., is still being deliberated in the environment committee.
In a statement Tuesday, IDIS underscored the importance of Mayor Sara's support to expedite the proposed law's enactment.
“Mayor Sara’s statement is highly-appreciated. Plastic pollution is a very serious problem that needs to be addressed. This problem affects the urban area as plastic has since found its way in rural and coastal areas polluting our rivers and seas and endangering wildlife. We are hopeful that this ordinance will be passed this year or, better, it will be passed earlier,” lawyer Mark Penalver, IDIS executive director, said.
Jill Banta, the regional coordinator for Mindanao of Break Free From Plastic, said they welcome the mayor's pronouncement, even as the group called on the City Council to pass the ordinance within the year.
"Plastic waste is increasing during the pandemic. Once the SUP (single-use plastic) ban ordinance is passed, the local government unit must ensure that it will create systems that will allow for enthusiastic public participation by supporting community-based plastic-free stores and alternative delivery systems for refill and reuse," Banta said. (PNA)
