A wastepicker rummages for recyclable items along a breakwater in Manila on April 28, 2024. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

Waste

Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:559px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/172256159639520240428-manila-breakwater-MD-8265.jpg" style="width:559px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">A wastepicker rummages for recyclable items along a breakwater in Manila on April 28, 2024. <em>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</em> <em></em></span></span></span></div><p style="text-align:left">MANILA — A watchdog on Friday challenged President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to stop the &quot;unhampered&quot; plastic production and importation in the country if he was serious in solving the Philippines&#x27; flooding issues.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/7/27/overpopulation-poor-urban-development-garbage-blamed-for-ncr-floods-2152">• Overpopulation, poor urban development, garbage blamed for NCR floods</a></div><p>According to <span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">BAN Toxics, blaming &quot;trash&quot; and &quot;<span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">lack of discipline&quot; for the recent flooding in Metro Manila ignores the larger issue at hand. </span></span></p><p>“It has always been easy to blame trash and the lack of discipline for recent and future flooding, yet the climate impacts of unhampered plastic production, along with land use conversion, large-scale mining, and their contribution to environmental degradation are being overlooked,&quot; the group said</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/7/31/mmda-blames-metro-flooding-to-insufficient-drainage-system-improper-waste-management-1626">• MMDA: Trash, insufficient drainage system to blame for Metro Manila floods</a></div><p>Earlier, Marcos and other government officials said waste mismanagement and climate change were the culprits for the recent flooding in Metro Manila, which was triggered by heavy rains due to typhoon and southwest monsoon. </p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pMKwbMRdOp0?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>“The President must realize that 99 percent of all plastics are derived from fossil fuels, the largest contributor to the global climate crisis,&quot; said Jam Lorenzo, head of BAN Toxics’ Policy Development and Research.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/2024/4/23/plastic-bank-targets-pollution-helps-poor-people-1439">• Plastic Bank targets pollution, helps poor people</a></div><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/06/23/ph-losing-war-vs-single-use-plastics-denr-chief-says">• PH &#x27;losing war&#x27; vs single-use plastics, DENR chief says</a></div><p>“The import of finished plastic products and wastes into the country, combined with the current rate of domestic plastic production and other factors, is overwhelming the capacity of our waste management systems, rendering them ineffective,” Lorenzo added.</p><p>During the start of his presidency, Marcos acknowledged the country&#x27;s ranking as a plastic polluter and vowed to &quot;clean up.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/30/22/marcos-plastic-polluter-philippines-to-clean-up">• Marcos says plastic polluter Philippines to &#x27;clean up&#x27;</a></div><p>A 2021 report by the World Bank said the Philippines was the third largest contributor of plastic pollution, with an estimated 0.75 million metric tons of mismanaged plastic entering the ocean every year.</p><p>Meanwhile, BAN Toxics said <span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">the Philippines in 2021 &quot;imported 1.98 million tonnes of plastic raw materials, plastic products, and plastic packaging with 393 kilo tonnes export, making it a net importer of plastics.&quot;</span></p><div><span id="isPasted"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/5/28/philippines-deploys-river-rangers-in-battle-against-plastic-1248">• Philippines deploys river rangers in battle against plastic</a></span></div><p>“We stand with the Filipino people in holding the government accountable for the recent floods and those yet to come, and we call for science-informed and human rights-based climate actions... Addressing plastic pollution requires upstream approaches – focusing on pre-consumption and the reduction of production – to mitigate its impact on livelihoods, human health, and the environment,&quot; the group said.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/7/24/residents-rescued-as-typhoon-carina-causes-floods-in-ncr-2152">• Residents rescued as Typhoon Carina causes floods in NCR</a></div><p>The Senate is investigating the cause of the recent flooding in Metro Manila as they questioned why the gargantuan budget allocated for flood control projects barely made an impact.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/7/26/poe-vows-to-challenge-2025-budget-of-dpwh-mmda-amid-worsening-floods-1216">• Poe vows to challenge 2025 budget of DPWH, MMDA amid &#x27;worsening&#x27; floods</a></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gUwd8s5_zOg?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>According to BAN Toxics, blaming "trash" and "lack of discipline" for the recent flooding in Metro Manila ignores the larger issue that should be addressed.</p>

According to BAN Toxics, blaming "trash" and "lack of discipline" for the recent flooding in Metro Manila ignores the larger issue that should be addressed.

Marcos urged to stop 'unhampered plastic production' following NCR floods | ABS-CBN

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Marcos urged to stop 'unhampered plastic production' following NCR floods

Marcos urged to stop 'unhampered plastic production' following NCR floods

Jauhn Etienne Villaruel,

ABS-CBN News

Published Aug 02, 2024 09:47 AM PHT

Read More:

Marcos

BBM

plastic

plastic pollution

climate change

flood

flooding

Ban Toxins

climate justice

ANC

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