Lawsandpoliciesgearedtowardseffective
resolutionstoage-oldproblemshavebeen,andarestill
being,lobbiedorenacted,suchasthediscontinueduse
ofplasticstrawsandplasticbagsinselectedlocalities.
Butwhydoestheproblemonplasticpollutionstill
persist?GreenpeacePhilippinesbelievesthatglobal
corporationsaretoblame.“[They]arelockingusinto
cheap,disposableplastics,ratherthaninnovatingand
findingsolutions,”saysAbigailAguilar,acampaignerfor
SoutheastAsiaoftheenvironmentalorganisation.
Thiswasherresponsetotheresultsofthegroup’s
2017 “audit”followingaclean-updrivethatshowedthe
topthreeplayersinplasticwasteproduction.Leading
thelistaretwoPhilippinebrandsfollowedbyan
Indonesianbrand.
ThesecorporationsrepresentwhatAguilarcalls“the
missingpiece”intheglobalfightagainstplasticpollution.
Accordingtoher,theyaremanufacturing“budget”items
inplasticandfoilpackages,feedingintotheso-called
sachet(tingi-tingi)mentality.Filipinosinthelower
incomebracketwillnormallychoosebasedonprice,thus
thesaleabilityoffoilpacksandplasticsachets.
Corporations have invested on this trend so much that
the purchasing habit of this particular market, which
comprises the majority of the Philippine population,
has become more and more difficult to correct. Imagine
decades’ worth of small packs produced and wasted,makingupmostofourmountainsoftrash,andwe’re
onlyhearingaboutcompaniesofferingproductrefills
withrecycledbottlesjustinrecentyears.
Betterlatethannever,perhaps,butifcorporations
continuetoproduce“budget”itemsinplasticandfoil
packages,therewillalwaysbeconsumerswhowillopt
tobuythem.
“Werecognisethatit’snotgoingtohappenovernight,
soourcallisforthesecorporations,whiletheyaredoing
short-termprojectsonplasticwastemanagement,tolook
forlonger-termsolutionsaswell,”Aguilarwasquotedina
recentinterview.Addressingthe ConsequenCes
WiththechangeinleadershipintheDOTinMay 2018
camethereintroductionoftheconceptof“sustainable
tourism,”proclaimedasthenewprimarythrustofthe
departmentinpursuanceofRepublicActNo 9593 orthe
TourismActof2009.
Romulo-Puyatexplains,“Indevelopingourtourism
industry,wemuststrikeabalancebetweeneconomic
opportunitiesandsocialresponsibilities.Wemustensure
that any development in the tourism industry must not be
undertaken at the expense of the environment, the tourists,
and the host communities.” The department’s “It’s More
Fun in the Philippines” global campaign was relaunched to
Images Courtesy of Dan incorporate this major refinement.
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Tourists tour the Underground River in Puerto Princesa; Greenpeace Philip-
pines’s clean-up drive at Freedom Island; (opposite, clockwise from top left)
Pieces of plastic waste retrieved during a clean-up drive; Department of
Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat; A banner with the group’s rallying
cry against plastic wastephilippine tatler. august 2019 151