By Vanne Terrazola
Senators are mulling to legislate a ban on the single-use plastics after a study revealed the Philippines as one of the major contributors of plastic wastes in oceans.
Senator Aquilino Pimentel III yesterday said he is considering to file a bill that would limit the use of plastic items in industry and trade.
“Our economy’s strong performance has increased production and consumption. Unfortunately, it also increased the plastic waste we generate in the course of our daily activities. It’s time we consider how we can use plastic in a less destructive way”, Pimentel, chair of the Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship, said in statement.
Pimentel recalled that when he was Senate president, he had assured full legislative support from the Philippines for the global agenda to conserve and sustainably use the oceans during the meeting of the International Parliamentary Union on the 2030 Agenda Sustainable Development Goal 14, which focuses on the oceans, seas and marine resources, last Feb. 13-14.
He suggested mandating that disposable plastics be biodegradable and doing away of single-use plastics. “I understand the convenience and economics of plastic use. However, we should never let short-term benefits doom us in the long term,” Pimentel said.
