Nanawagan Kay Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte ang grupo ng Green Thumb Coalition na maglungsad ng giyera kotra basura kagaya ng: plastic bag, styrophome, sirang celphone, Computer, television at iba pang e waste. Kasama na dito ang basurang itinapon ng bansang Canada sa Filipinas na nagpaparumi sa kalikasan.
Sa isinagawang press conference nitong nakaraang September 27, 2016, nanawagan ang grupo sa pamahalaang Duterte, na bilisan ang pagpapatupad ng Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, para sa kaligtasan ng mamamayan at ng kapaligiran dahil sa maruming basura at polusyon sa kalikasan.
Ang grupo ng Green thumb Coalition ay kinabibilangan ng Ban Toxics, Eco Waste Coalition (EWC), Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, (GAIA), Greenpeace at ang Health Care Without Harm (HCWH).
Halos nakaka-tatlong buwan pa lang sa kanyang panunungkulan si Duterte, ipinaramdam na ng grupo ng Green Thumb Coalition ang ipinanagako ni Pangulong Duterte. Na noong nangangampanya pa lamang siya na reresolbahin ang issue sa loob ng anim na buwan ang tunkol sa solid waste and plastics pollution, thermal waste-to-energy facilities, pollution prevention, electronic waste at ang Canada waste issue.
Ayon kay Abigail Aguilar, Greenpeace Detox Campaigner, “Having laws that outline the country’s waste pollution problems are not enough if serious implementation is lacking. Rather than curing the problem with stop-gap measures, we urge the Government of the Philippines to address pollution through prevention measures at source, such as a pollution disclosure policy required of industries. Public access to information on industrial emissions not only identify problems at source, but also address the people’s right to know. Similarly, looking into requiring closed-loop production of electronics would minimize negative effects on the informal waste sector by requiring manufacturers who profit the most to also take responsibility for the e-wastes generated.”
Sinabi naman ni Froilan Grate, Asia-Pacific Coordinator, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives.“We hope that this government will take plastic pollution, particularly its leakage into our waterways and marine environment, more seriously, and hold manufacturers and producers into account. The proliferation and increase of single-use, disposable plastic products and packaging and its problematic disposal increase the burden of already-taxed local governments to deal with these problematic products on their own, as well as pave the way for the highly-toxic burning of plastic residuals in cement kilns and drive the irresponsible call to lift the incineration ban. We call on the President to include a national ban on single-use plastic bags among his top legislative priorities.”
“We hope the President promptly lends support to the “war” Secretary Lopez is waging against enemies of the environment, especially against those who seek to sneak enacting policies such as the ‘Waste-to-Energy’ Guidelines that are deleterious to the environment as well as people’s health, and also in clear violation of the Clean Air Act and the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act,” ayon naman kay Ayeth Enrile ng Medical Waste Campaigner, Health Care Without Harm.
“Before elections, President Duterte was vehemently against Canada’s dumping. He now needs to show he is a person of decisive action when it comes to waste,” ayon kay Anna Kapunan, Campaigner for BAN Toxics. “The President should ensure that all the trash is immediately re-exported, that Canada accepts it, and Filipino taxes are not spent for its return. Also, the President should do as he promised and ensure the Basel Amendment ratification is a priority agenda of the Senate, in order to prevent any future dumping.”
“During the last three months, waste concerns have taken a back seat to ‘bigger’ environmental issues and many of the campaign promises related to the enhanced enforcement of Republic Act 9003, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, have yet to be realized. We hope to see real solutions to our garbage woes sans incineration gaining more traction in the coming days and that Secretary Lopez will make good on her promise to go after non-compliant local government units,” noted Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition.
Magsusumitte ng open Letter ang Grupo sa Malacañang sa darating na mga araw, kalakip ang mga lagda ng humigit kumulang sa 100 katao na ang bilang mula sa ibat-ibang organisasyon, grupo, coalistion at individual kontra sa Canada waste issue na hanggang s ngayon ay hindi pa rin nareresulba.(Click picture below to enlarge)
