P-Noy Gets Low Grade for Slack Pace in Solving Garbage Woes

Environmental, climate and health justice groups today released a report card revealing a lackluster performance by the government in the field of waste prevention and reduction in its first year in office.

Over 50 groups affiliated with the EcoWaste Coalition, a grassroots environmental network, expressed dissatisfaction with the inadequate headship by President Benigno S. Aquino III in solving the nation’s longstanding battle against garbage.

Through a 12-points questionnaire, the groups, many of whom have a long history of fighting the corruption-riddled “hakot-tambak” (collect-dump) system of managing discards and promoting eco-solutions, rated P-Noy’s performance, lamenting the failure of his government to shut down polluting dumpsites and overturn costly obsession with technology fixes such as landfills and incinerators.

“For not showing decisive interest, leadership and action in preventing and reducing garbage and all its attendant problems, we give the Executive Department headed by the President an overall grade of 2.65 points out of 10,” stated Roy Alvarez, President, EcoWaste Coalition.

The Aquino administration ranked lowest in terms of integrating waste pickers in ecological solid waste management programs, in enforcing the ban on waste incineration, in prohibiting the open burning of discards, in disallowing the entry of toxic waste and in ensuring the environmentally-sound management of hazardous waste materials such as electronic waste, and in directing the closure, cleanup and rehabilitation of illegal dumpsites.

“This is not to put down the President, but to notify him about the severity of the problems and persuade him to urgently delve into green governance issues such as zero waste resource management,” he clarified.

“For sure, there were some environmental pronouncements and initiatives during the past 12 months, but we frankly expect more from P-Noy because he has an outstanding social contract with the Filipino people ,” he emphasized.

To demonstrate his determination to keep our communities and ecosystems safe from garbage and pollution, the EcoWaste Coalition asked P-Noy to chair at least one full meeting of the National Solid Waste Management Commission, which is under the Office of the President, secure its budget and set its direction, prioritizing the calling for public consultation in coming up with the list of non-environmentally acceptable products and packaging, as required by R.A. 9003, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

It is imperative likewise for the President to exercise his supervisory power and authority over the local government units, as the prime enforcers of RA 9003, and unhesitatingly hold fully accountable the laggards among the local chief executivesin the no-nonsense implementation of the law.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), which is under the power of control of the President, should already close the illegal dumpsites all over the country.

To ensure wide participation of the public, DENR should likewise subject proposed regulatory measures to a public comment period for at least 60 days.

“We’re not losing hope and we look forward to a better-looking report card next year for the sake of Mother Earth and our people,” he added.

Here’s P-Noy report card on waste and pollution issues, 10 points being the highest grade possible:

1. For not voicing his support loud enough towards a “litter-free Pilipinas,” the President collected 3.06 points.

2. For failing to stop the wasteful and polluting practice of open burning, the government obtained 2.40 points.

3. For letting incinerator “monsters” destroy resources and pollute communities, government regulators received 2.24 points.

4. For the lax enforcement of the required sorting of reusable, recyclable, compostable and residual discards at source, the national and local authorities earned 2.88 points.

5. For not taking resolute action to close, clean up and rehabilitate some 790 open dumpsites and 382 controlled dumpsites, and for not establishing enough materials recovery facilities or ecology centers to replace these pollution hotspots, the government got 2.50 points.

6. For allowing the construction and operation dirty disposal technologies in environmentally-critical places such as the Marikina watershed area in Sierra Madre, the government gathered 2.66 points.

7. For the inactive promotion of composting as the best approach to managing organics, the authorities got 3.08 points.

8. For the slow progress in including waste pickers in formal waste management programs, the government got the lowest mark at 2.18 points.

9. For the sluggish action to ban the production, distribution or use of “non-environmentally acceptable packaging materials,” the authorities collected 2.58 points.

10. For failing to curb the entry of toxic waste and ensure the environmentally-sound management of hazardous waste such as electronic waste, the government got 2.46 points.

11. For the ineffective public information and education on ecological waste management, the government received 3.16 points.

12. And lastly, for not pushing Zero Waste enough as a concrete pollution, climate and unemployment solution, P-Noy and his administration received 2.58 points.

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'Litterless' Run for Rizal draws cheers from green group

A waste and pollution watchdog has expressed delight over the “litterless” fun run held Sunday morning at the Luneta in celebration of the 150th birthday of Dr. Jose Rizal.

The EcoWaste Coalition, a public interest network campaigning for a “litter-free Pilipinas,” commended the organizers and participants for demonstrating their environmental discipline and responsibility in such a historic event.

Organized by the Department of Education (DepEd), the “Takbo ni Pepe@150” drew thousands upon thousands of young people who came to honor the national hero and also to support the government’s resource mobilization drive for public schools.

“We congratulate DepEd and all the participating schools and students for keeping the event litterless as they walked and ran in memory of Rizal and in support of the public school system,” said Manny Calonzo, EcoWaste Coalition’s Basura Patroller who monitored the event.

“Compared to other mass events held in Rizal Park, the fun run did not blight the area with too much garbage,” he said.

“For sure there were some litterbugs among the participants, representing a tiny fraction of the runners and leaving only patches of littered candy and snack wrappers,” he said.

“Although not totally litter-free, we’re pleased to see that the participants did not leave a big mess along the route, particularly in Rizal Park” he further said.

Littering is a serious environmental offense that is not only making a place looks bad, said the EcoWaste Coalition.

According to the group, littering also causes a host of negative effects to public hygiene and sanitation, drainage management and flood control and wildlife protection, while consuming hordes of public funds for cleanup.

Section 48 of Republic Act 9003, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, prohibits the dumping of waste matters in public places such as roads, sidewalks, canals, esteros, parks and establishments.

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‘Dumping of e-waste may ultimately drain LGU coffers’

The continued dumping of electronic waste, through years of unchecked importation of used electronic gadgets, may have already contaminated many urban communities with both chemical and radioactive toxins, and ultimately drain the resources of local government units (LGUs).

The warning was issued anew by two ecology groups, which also said the absence of technology to dispose of electronic waste has led to discreet methods of concealing the waste by pulverizing them, thus leading to what they call “the vanishing e-waste.”



“What is fearsome is the effect of these powdered but highly toxic materials to the environment, as they are being thrown anywhere, contaminating our soil, our water sources, ultimately reaching the food chain,” said Richard Gutierrez, executive director of Ban Toxics.

In his Powerpoint presentation before an audience of local government officials, Gutierrez said “we may be looking at how much toxic waste we have, consisting of plastics from computers of about 552 million pounds, lead from glass of cathode-ray tubes of about 120 million pounds, and mercury of about 632,000 pounds.”

These are the toxic materials found in used television and computer sets discarded by developed countries, and which importers dump here as reconditioned sets sold cheaply, he said.

“E-waste is an urgent topic of concern, especially for countries such as the Philippines, where discarded electronics from countries such as Japan and South Korea are exported as secondhand goods,” he said.

Japan, for instance, he said, “discards 18 million home electronic appliances annually, amounting to 600,000 tons of e-waste.”

The 20-inch TV screen already produced and placed side by side would stretch out “to cover the circumference of the Earth once,” he said, adding that the 14-inch computer screens also placed side by side would cover a third of the circumference of the Earth.

He listed at least five toxic chemicals and elements present in many imported electronic gadgets that would also include old mobile phones, radio sets and those used mainly in communication and transportation, and industrial machinery.

Lead, for one, he said, “accumulates in the environment and has high acute and chronic effects on plants, animals and microorganisms. Lead poisoning is the primary cause of death in cattle in parts of Canada; fatal to birds, etc.”

He added that mercury, “persistent and bioaccumulative, spreads into water supplies, accumulates in living things, and eventually travels up through the food chain.”

He said another element, cadmium, “when it enters the air, binds to small particles, falls to the ground or water as rain or snow, and may contaminate fish, plants and animals.”

Plastics, the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) type, produce dioxins when PVCs are burned.

“Dioxin can contaminate soil and water, and enter the food supply and accumulates in the fat of fish and animals. This can be passed through the breast milk of nursing mothers,” he said.

Brominated flame retardants would also produce toxin that easily find their way in the breast milk of nursing mothers.

Asked about the extent of contamination of fishes and other marine species, Gutierrez said “it would need a study by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to determine it.”

Albert Jubilo, a researcher and member of the Davao City chapter of the Philippine Institute of Chemical Engineers, told the forum on “Educating Communities and LGUs on the Dangers of E-waste” that its study on the poblacion area of Davao City “indicated that the dumping of these secondhand TV and computer sets was already alarming, and these gadgets have found their way in the waste stream, thrown in garbage piles and in the dump.”

“The study was made three years ago, in 2008, and how much more is the situation today? Besides, we only studied the poblacion area. What more if the government or other groups would make a thorough and full-dressed monitoring and investigation?” he told the BusinessMirror at the sidelines of the forum held at the Medical School Foundation Inc.

He urged local governments to generate widespread discussion to prod the national government to make a policy move regulating the import of used electronic gadgets “that may force importers or distributors to package and label the items properly.”

“Local ordinances may compel importers and distributors to label or put information on how to dispose of them after their obvious limited use,” he said.

“The local government should assert its authority over their localities because these uncontrolled dumping of electronic waste, while seen as an economic opportunity, actually threaten the well-being of the local population and, ultimately, tell on the resources of local governments because it would be these LGUs that would be left to manage the threat and damage to their residents and their respective environments,” he said.

“The national government should be told that these items ultimately find their way into the LGUs and households because somebody up there [in the bureaucracy] is not doing his job,” he said.

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President Aquino to champion solid waste management nationwide

President Benigno Aquino III himself will lead the campaign for nationwide compliance with Republic Act 9003, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, which promotes proper waste disposal and aims reducing the country’s garbage volume -– already estimated at some 35,000 tons daily -- to help safeguard public health and to protect the environment.

”He agreed to come out in mass media and request people to undertake solid waste management (SWM),” said Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Ramon Paje.

To help the campaign reach as many people as possible, Paje said President Aquino requested DENR to prepare either a documentary or advertisement highlighting need for SWM which covers collection, transport, processing, recycling, disposal and monitoring of garbage generated.

Such documentary or advertisement featuring the President making his appeal for SWM will be aired on television and other forms of mass media, Paje noted.

”The solid waste issue won’t be resolved unless households and others cooperate and follow the law,” Paje said.

Last week, DENR signed with each of several Metro Manila local government units (LGUs) the memorandum of agreement on promoting SWM.

Such LGUs are Caloocan City, Malabon City, Mandaluyong City, Manila, Marikina City, Pasay City, Pateros, Quezon City, Taguig City and Valenzuela City.

As provided for in the agreements, DENR will extend technical assistance and funding for helping LGUs concerned establish within a year SWM systems for homeowners' associations in subdivisions and condominiums across respective areas of jurisdiction.

Establishing such systems aims to help reduce Metro Manila's garbage volume which National Solid Waste Management Commission reported as already reaching over 8,700 tons daily.

The DENR reported 4,717 Metro Manila-based homeowners' associations were already identified for assistance.

The LGUs concerned will select the beneficiary-associations, provide over-all supervision in implementing the agreements with DENR and furnish quarterly accomplishment reports on the matter, respectively.

Paje is urging cooperation on such project so that the DENR and its partners can eventually concentrate on addressing garbage in the country’s informal settlements.

He believes addressing such problem is more complicated due to prevailing poverty there.

”I believe it’s not only a garbage issue but a social concern as well,” he said.

One of the issues in informal settlements is lack of sewerage facilities for proper disposal of waste.

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DENR, local officials to enhance waste management in subdivisions, condos

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Ramon J. P. Paje forged a memorandum of agreement with 11 Metro Manila local government units for the establishment of appropriate ecological solid waste management systems for homeowners associations of subdivisions and condominiums.

Present during the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signing were Caloocan City Mayor Enrico R. Echiverri; Pasay City Mayor Antonino G. Calixto; Taguig City Mayor Ma. Laarni L. Cayetano; Pateros Mayor Jaime C. Medina; Vice Mayor Dr. Jose Fabian Cadiz, representing Marikina Mayor Del de Guzman; City Administrator Ernesto Victorino, representing Mandaluyong City Mayor Benjamin Abalos, Jr; Engr. Reynaldo Amata, representing Malabon City Mayor Canuto Oreta; Roberto Darilag for Valenzuela City Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian; Frederika Rentoy for Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista; Atty. Rafaelito Garayblas for Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, and City Administrator Nelson de Jesus for Paranaque City Mayor Florencio Bernabe, Jr.

The MOA signing forms part of the national celebration of World Environment Day on June 5.

“This partnership we forged with all local executives of Metro Manila is proof that the DENR is serious and relentless in the pursuit of our mandate in solid waste management, and we are committed to extend the necessary assistance to those who will help us implement it,” Paje said.

Paje said that under Republic Act No. 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, the responsibility of ESWM is lodged primarily on LGUs. Unfortunately, he lamented, more than a decade after the law was passed, waste management remains a top environmental problem in the country, especially in Metro Manila.

But, Paje said the agency is not losing hope. “We at the DENR remain optimistic we can solve the problem. The challenge is for all of us, particularly the local leaders, to find ways by which we could actually get all families, without exemption, in the act. The Department of Education has already integrated solid waste management in school curriculum to rally our youth in the campaign. This time, we will target the adults to be more responsible,” Paje stressed.

DENR is targeting the homeowners associations (HOAs), through the LGUs, as partners in implementing the law, particularly its provisions on waste segregation, with the aim of drastically reducing the amount of garbage thrown into sanitary landfills. In Metro Manila, a total of 4,717 HOAs have already been identified for assistance.

The MOA targets the establishment of an ESWM system in concerned barangays and HOAs within a period of one year. Such a system includes segregation at source, segregated collection, and establishment of a materials recovery facility (MRF). The HOAs should also have, within the same period, diverted at least 50 per cent of their waste, and publicized reports on issued ordinances, violations, and model practitioners.

The LGU for its part will, among others, be responsible for identifying a non-government or any private sector organization as partner in identifying the appropriate ESWM system to be adopted by the subdivisions or municipalities. It will also provide counterpart personnel, including “Environmental Police” in barangays, who will assist in the implementation of the technical, enforcement and financial aspects of the project.

Also under the MOA, the DENR will, through the NSWMC, provide the necessary technical support to the LGU and conduct overall coordination and monitoring.

The MOA is also schedule-specific on the submission of deliverables or outputs over a period of 12 months. These include quarterly reports on inception, liquidation of finances, waste diversion and assessment. The timetable also includes the schedule of releases for fund support earlier promised by the DENR to the LGUs.

According to the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC), which the DENR secretary chairs, Metro Manila generates more than 8,700 tons of garbage daily, or around 25% of the country’s total daily generation of 35,000 tons.

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High-tech landfill in San Mateo ready to process garbage from Metro Manila

A 19-hectare sanitary landfill in San Mateo, Rizal, which was earlier met with opposition and complaints, opened over the weekend.

Andy Santiago, president of San Mateo Landfill and Development Corp. (SMLDC), which operates the facility, said the landfill, which uses state-of-the-art technology, was ready to accommodate and process garbage coming from Metro Manila.

The construction of the P300-million sanitary landfill located at Barangay (village) Pintong Bukawe had been opposed by a real-estate developer and environmental groups because it allegedly violated environment regulations and had encroached on a watershed area.

Cases were later filed with some dismissed and several others pending in court, Santiago said.

An environment compliance certificate issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), however, gave SMLDC the green light to start operating the facility.

In 2009 and 2010, it began handling the garbage of residents of San Mateo and Cainta, respectively.

Dubbed as the “hi-tech recycle bin of residual waste,” the sanitary landfill was launched on Saturday with Rizal Governor Jun Ynares, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Francis Tolentino and DENR regional officials in attendance.

Santiago explained that the new San Mateo landfill was different from other landfills in the country for it would soon have the refuse derived fuel facility (RDF), which converts waste into fuel for cement production.

“We are considering a lot of ways to minimize landfilling. [Through] the RDF, the residual waste would be down by 60 percent,” he said.

The landfill also has leachate holding ponds, a water-treatment facility that produces clean water to grow fish and plants and a material recovery facility that recycles garbage.

In addition, it has a 1,000-square-meter greenhouse plantation, a bike trail and gazebos that can be used as viewing decks.

Santiago stressed that the Rizal provincial government and the San Mateo municipality had been benefiting from the landfill without shelling out a single cent.

He said that the two local governments get 25 percent of the tipping fees that the SMLDC collects from processing wastes.

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Waste Prevention in Schools

AS schools get ready for the opening of the new academic year, a pollution watchdog has urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to push the country’s 55,230 public and private elementary and secondary schools to go for “Zero Waste.”

The EcoWaste Coalition specifically requested Education Secretary Armin Luistro, FSC, to issue a memorandum that will remind school administrators to put in place appropriate policies and systems for reducing and managing school discards. The last time the education department issued a reminder on the implementation of ecological solid waste management in schools, observed the EcoWaste Coalition, was in 2001 during the term of then Secretary Andrew Gonzalez, FSC.

The EcoWaste Coalition said the country is not lacking in model schools in both public and private sectors that can provide aspiring educational institutions with practical knowledge on how to “green” their schools.

The group cited the grand winners of the “National Search for Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Schools,” namely, the Peñablanca East Central Elementary School in Peñablanca, Cagayan, La Castellana National High School in La Castellana, Negros Occidental, and Palawan State University in Puerto Princesa; the recipients of the “Dark Green School” label from the Environmental Education Network of the Philippines such as the De La Salle University- Dasmariñas, Cavite, Miriam College in Quezon City and Visayas State University in Baybay, Leyte; and the Cavite Institute in Silang, Cavite, which the World Bank cited for its innovative recycling for scholarship program.

“We hope to see more schools becoming centers of excellence in terms of eliminating garbage and promoting environmental stewardship and action among our students and citizens,” said Roy Alvarez, president, EcoWaste Coalition. “Zero waste resource management will contribute to a healthy and socially-responsible school system that will not add to the 35,000 tons of trash that the whole country generates each day,” he emphasized.

Alvarez recalled that DECS Memorandum No. 33-2001 provided for the monitoring of school implementation of ecological solid waste management, including the promotion of “sorting-at-source,” the “use of recycled materials” and “banning any form of open burning.”

“Now is the best time for DepEd to reiterate school involvement on Zero Waste resource management as this will complement the government’s national green agenda, particularly in preventing and reducing trash,” said Christina Vergara, Zero Waste campaigner, EcoWaste Coalition.

“The memorandum can also include attractive incentives for schools to enforce and shine in ecological waste management, including morale-boosting commendations for practicing schools,” she added

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‘Brigada Eskwela’: A clean sweep

As students, teachers and parents get ready for school, a toxic watchdog calls for a pollution-free cleanup and repair of school facilities in line with the observance of National Schools Maintenance Week, May 23 to 28, spearheaded by the Department of Education.

As the Brigada Eskwela volunteers prepare to roll up their sleeves, EcoWaste gives this friendly reminder: “The open burning of discards, the unsafe removal of lead paint, and the application of lead-added paint during the cleanup drive are polluting activities that must be avoided.”

In 2006, a health study found 21 percent of children tested in the Visayas for blood lead levels (BLL) with lead up to 20 micrograms per deciliter in their blood, which exceeds the allowable limit of 10 mcg/dcl. Conducted by University of the Philippines health economist Dr. Orville Solon and other local and international collaborators, the study identified paint chips as one of the multiple possible sources of lead exposure for the said children.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that lead poisoning is especially harmful to the developing brains of fetuses and young children as well as to pregnant women. Says WHO, “Too much lead can damage the nervous and reproductive systems and the kidneys, and can cause high blood pressure and anemia. High blood lead levels in children can cause consequences, which may be irreversible, including learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and mental retardation. At very high levels, lead can cause convulsions, coma, and death.”

So, lead us not into danger from lead.

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Keep school clean-up pollution-free – EcoWaste

As the Department of Education (DepEd) gears up for “Brigada Eskwela,” the annual back-to-school clean-up, green advocates appealed to the clean-up volunteers to make sure that the activity does not cause further pollution.

EcoWaste Coalition issued the reminder as parents, students, and other participants get ready for the DepEd-initiated “National Schools Maintenance Week” from May 23 to 28.

The group pointed out that open burning of discards, unsafe removal of lead paint and application of lead-added paint during the cleanup drive are polluting activities that must be avoided.

EcoWaste warned that open burning is banned under the Clean Air Act and the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, because it can release dozens of pollutants into the air including dioxin, a proven human carcinogen.

Meanwhile, sanding or scraping lead paint from flaking doors, walls, ceilings and windows will scatter dust containing lead, a neurotoxin that attacks the brain and the nervous system, it added.

If ingested or inhaled by children, lead-laden paint chips cause irreparable health problems, EcoWaste pointed out.

Citing a health study released in 2006, the group noted that 21 percent of children tested in the Visayas for blood lead levels (BLL) were found to have lead up to 20 micrograms per deciliter in their blood, which exceeds the allowable limit of 10 mcg/dcl.

Another study conducted by University of the Philippines health economist Dr. Orville Solon and other local and international collaborators identified paint chips as one of the “multiple possible sources of lead exposure” for children.

Citing information from the World Health Organization (WHO), EcoWaste warned that lead poisoning can cause serious health problems, especially to the developing brains of fetuses and young children and to pregnant women.

According to the WHO, "too much lead can damage the nervous and reproductive systems and the kidneys, and can cause high blood pressure and anemia. Lead accumulates in the bones and lead poisoning may be diagnosed from a blue line around the gums."

WHO also said lead interferes with the metabolism of calcium and Vitamin D.

“High blood lead levels in children can cause consequences which may be irreversible, including learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and mental retardation. At very high levels, lead can cause convulsions, coma and death,” WHO said.

To minimize children's exposure to lead-containing paint and dust, EcoWaste asked "Brigada Eskwela" organizers, volunteers and donors to shun lead-dispersing cleanup practices, and to ensure that school facilities are only painted with certified lead-free paint.

“We request concerned citizens to support the cleanup and repair of our classrooms, libraries, canteens and other school amenities such as activity areas and waiting sheds in a way that will not cause further pollution,” EcoWaste President Roy Alvarez said

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Group calls for eco-friendly "Brigada Eskwela" cleanup drive

Less than a month before the new schoolyear starts, an environmental group appealed to teachers and students to ensure an eco-friendly “Brigada Eskwela" cleanup drive.

The EcoWaste Coalition issued the reminder in time for the Department of Education’s “National Schools Maintenance Week" from May 23 to 28.

“Our admirable desire to make our schools spick and span in time for the resumption of classes need not result to the creation or release of harmful pollutants that can jeopardize our children’s health," EcoWaste president Roy Alvarez said in an entry on the group’s blog.

Paints containing lead

To minimize children’s exposure to paints containing the chemical "lead," Eco Waste urged “Brigada Eskwela" organizers and volunteers to avoid "lead-dispersing activities" and to use only certified lead-free paint.

The group cited a 2006 health study which found that 21 percent of children tested in the Visayas for blood lead levels (BLL) had lead up to 20 micrograms per deciliter in their blood, exceeding the “allowable limit" of 10 mcg/dcl.

The study conducted by University of the Philippines health economist Dr. Orville Solon and other local and international collaborators identified paint chips as one of the “multiple possible sources of lead exposure" for the said children.

The group also warned against sanding or scraping lead paint from flaking doors, walls, ceilings and windows because it will scatter dust containing lead, a neurotoxin that attacks the brain and the nervous system.

Eating or inhaling lead-laden paint chips and dust can expose children to lead and cause irreparable health problems, it said.

The World Health Organization (WHO), says lead poisoning can cause serious health problems, especially to the developing brains of fetuses and young children and to pregnant women.

WHO had warned “too much lead can damage the nervous and reproductive systems and the kidneys, and can cause high blood pressure and anemia."

“Lead accumulates in the bones and lead poisoning may be diagnosed from a blue line around the gums," it added.

According to WHO, high levels of lead in a child can cause irreversible learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and mental retardation.

“At very high levels, lead can cause convulsions, coma and death," said the WHO.

Open burning

EcoWaste particularly warned against the open burning of discards, the unsafe removal of lead paint and the application of lead-added paint during the cleanup drive.

Open burning, the group said, is a prohibited act under the Clean Air Act and the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act because it can release airborne pollutants, including the cancer-causing chemical "dioxin."

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Enlist schools in ecological waste management, DepEd urged

Environmentalists yesterday urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to push the country’s 55,230 public and private elementary and secondary schools to engage in waste prevention in line with the opening of a new academic year.

The EcoWaste Coalition specifically requested Education Secretary Armin Luistro to issue a memorandum that will remind school administrators to put in place appropriate policies and systems for reducing and managing school discards if they have not yet done so.

The last time the Education Department issued a reminder on the implementation of ecological solid waste management in schools, the group noted, was in 2001 during the term of then Secretary Andrew Gonzalez.

“With another La Sallian brother at the helm of the department, we hope to see more schools becoming centers of excellence in terms of eliminating garbage and promoting environmental stewardship and action among our students and citizens,” said Roy Alvarez, EcoWaste Coalition president.

He stressed, “Zero waste resource management will contribute to a healthy and socially-responsible school system that will not add to the 35,000 tons of trash that the whole country generates each day.”

Alvarez recalled that DepEd Memorandum No. 33-2001 provided for the monitoring of school implementation of ecological solid waste management, including the promotion of “sorting-at-source,” the “use of recycled materials” and “banning any form of open burning.”

“Now is the best time for DepEd to reiterate school involvement on Zero Waste resource management as this will complement the government’s national green agenda, particularly in preventing and reducing trash,” said Christina Vergara, also of the EcoWaste Coalition.

“The memorandum can also include attractive incentives for schools to enforce and shine in ecological waste management, including morale-boosting commendations for practicing schools,” she added.
The group cited the grand winners of the “National Search for Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Schools,” namely, the Peñablanca East Central Elementary School in Peñablanca, Cagayan; La Castellana National High School in La Castellana, Negros Occidental; and Palawan State University in Puerto Princesa; as well as the recipients of the “Dark Green School” label from the Environmental Education Network of the Philippines such as the De La Salle University- Dasmariñas Cavite; Miriam College in Quezon City and Visayas State University in Baybay, Leyte; and the Cavite Institute in Silang, Cavite, which the World Bank cited for its innovative recycling for scholarship program.

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24 flood-prone Metro Manila areas identified

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has identified 24 areas in the metropolis that are prone to floods during heavy rains.

These are:

Along H. Lopez Boulevard
Along R-10
Anda Circle
Taft Avenue corner Quirino Avenue
Along Abad Santos
Along G. Araneta Avenue
Mother Ignacia corner Bohol Avenue
Timog corner Scout Tobias
Along General Kalentong St.
P.Sanchez St. corner Fabella St.
Martinez St. corner F. Ortigas St.
Boni Avenue corner F. Ortigas St.
Edsa corner Connecticut
Chino Roces corner Edsa
Along Gil Puyat
Quirino Ave. Plaza
Airport Road and Naia Road
E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenenue corner Eagle Avenue
East Service road-Nichols Interchange
East Service road-DBM Avenue
Along C.P Garcia Avenue
Along Manuel L.Quezon Ave.
Along Commonwealth Ave
Along Tandang Sora and Ortigas Avenue in front of La Salle St.

The MMDA has placed signboards in these areas and along roads that motorists can use during floods.

EcoWaste Coalition, meanwhile, believes that garbage and clogged waterways continue to cause floods in Metro Manila.

The group said it supports the MMDA's anti-littering campaign but urged the agency to strengthen its overall program to solve floods and create a long-term plan to solve the problem.

EcoWaste Coalition also urged the public to be disciplined in disposing garbage. The group said a proper solid waste management program may solve the metropolis' perennial garbage woes.

MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino, meanwhile, blamed the around 70,000 families that have illegally settled in waterways across Metro Manila.

He said the agency said is coordinating with the National Housing Authority (NHA) to relocate the informal settlers.

Tolentino said the MMDA does not have enough funds to launch a more comprehensive program to solve flooding in Metro Manila.

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‘Basura non grata’

A persona non grata is a person who is not acceptable among a certain group of people.

The current showbiz talk involving an actress-turned-politician and a town mayor of Bulacan is that the mayor reportedly filed a case against the actress-politician.

The town mayor is reportedly being supported by a number of mayors who have declared the actress-politician as persona non grata in Bulacan.

Ang bilis tumulong ng mga mayor na nakiisa sa mayor ng Bulacan, Bulacan Patrick Meneses na siyang naghabla sa actress-politician, ayon sa mga balita sa TV at pahayagan.

Naging isa sa mga panauhin namin ang noon ay pangalawang alkalde pa lamang ng kanyang bayan na si Meneses sa isang kumperensya para sa Inang Kalikasan sa Malolos Paradise Resort, Malolos Bulacan, noong Agosto 2007. Ang tema ng kumperensya ay “Tungo sa Maka-kalikasang Komunidad at Kabukiran.”

Isa rin sa mga dumalo noon ay si Calumpit Mayor James De Jesus na siyang nagpapatupad ng zero waste ngayon sa kanyang bayan. Sa Calumpit din isinasagawa ang organikong pagtatanim sa ilang mga barangay.

Mabuhay si Calumpit Mayor James De Jesus!

Malaki ang pasasalamat ng Bangon Kalikasan Movement kina De Jesus at Meneses sa pagpapaunlak noon sa aming paanyaya. Ngunit pagkaraan noon ay hindi ko na nasubaybayan ang maka-kalikasang pamamahala ng mga tira-tirang bagay sa Bulacan, Bulacan.

Ang munting tagumpay namin ay ang pagsasagawa ng mga magbubukid ng organikong pagtatanim sa bayan ng Bulacan. Hindi ko na rin namalayang naging alkalde na si Patrick Meneses.

Naiisip kong kaybilis ng mga alalayan ‘ika ng mga mayor ng Bulacan pagdating sa katulad nitong usapin na umiinog sa isang kasamahan na nasangkot sa isang showbiz personality. Nahiling ko sa sarili na sana’y ganito rin kabilis ang pagtugon nila sa lumalalang krisis sa ating kalikasan na ipinamukha na sa atin ng mga bagyong Milenyo, Ondoy, at Pepeng.

Bagaman may pagsisikap na ginagawa na linisin ang mga ilog ng Marilao, Bocaue , Obando, Valenzuela at isama na ang ibang ilog tulad ng Bustos, Angat, Malolos atbp., kailangang makatotohanang ipatupad ng mga mayor ang Republic Act 9003 o Ecological Solid Waste Mangement Act at ang Clean Air Act na matagal nang “nagmumulto” sa lalawigan ng Bulacan dahil sa hindi o kaya’y ganap na pagsasara ng mga tambakan ng basura na ang iba’y nasa tabi ng mga ilog ng Bulacan, at sa patuloy na paghantong sa pagiging ‘kumunoy” ng mga kailugan ng lalawigan.. Huwag nating hayaang maganap ang bagay na ito.Dahil sa kalupaan nanggagaling ang mga basurang napupunta sa ilog.

Dapat ideklara ng mga mayor na ito ang ‘basura non grata’. Garbage and dumpsites should not be acceptable in the province of Bulacan. During her time, former governor Josie Dela Cruz had forwarded to the Provincial Board a proposal from the EcoWaste Coalition to transform the province into a Zero-Waste Bulacan. This should be pursued.

The call for Zero-Waste Bulacan has been going on for several years, but sadly, only Calumpit and a number of barangays in different towns in the province have realized that they can live without dumpsites and can even help mitigate climate change or global warming.

Dati’y hindi ako naniniwala na marunong gumanti ang Inang Kalikasan sa kahit anumang paraan dahil sa paglapastangan ng tao sa kanya.. Ngunit pagkaraan ng Ondoy at Pepeng, parang gusto ko nang maniwala sa kasabihang ito.

Huwag nang makipaglansihan pa sa Inang Kalikasan. Napakaganda ng lalawigan ng Bulacan. Ipagtanggol at ibangon natin ang patuloy na nasasalaulang kagandahan nito.

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Paje appeals to parents to teach children on proper waste segregation

With almost all kids now on summer vacation, Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon J. P. Paje is urging parents to make an effort of teaching their children on proper waste segregation.

“Throughout the year, our children get educated by teachers. This summer vacation, I urge parents to take over and teach their children household chores, including the proper way of segregating household garbage,” Paje said.

“In fact, parents or the older children could come up with creative ways to make waste segregation fun and even income-generating by selling collected empty bottles and old newspapers and magazines to the neighborhood junk shop,” Paje added.

Paje made the appeal as the agency begins its heightened campaign against the mounting garbage problem in Metro Manila by intensifying its information and education campaign with the distribution of easy-to-understand campaign materials in barangays in Metro Manila. “As the family is the most basic unit of the society, it is but a must for proper ecological solid waste management to start at the households,” said Paje.

The DENR recently launched a number of information materials on solid waste management at the Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria in Mandaluyong City, where Metro Manila’s local environment officers pledged to farm out the materials to households, in coordination with barangay officials.

During the launch, some 5,000 copies of “Ecological Solid Waste Management for Households,” “Makakalikasang Pamamaraan ng Pamamahala sa Basura,” “Bawasan Ang Basurang Itatapon: Magsegregate,” “Solid Waste Management Made Easy," and “Proper Segregation of Solid Waste,” were distributed to the participants, including the 12-page “Basura Monster” coloring book written by TV news personality Christine Bersola-Babao.

“We hope that we could even more effectively manage our wastes at home as we have made the information materials easy to understand as our primary goal is to make solid waste management understandable to all, even by little children,” Paje stressed.

Paje also called upon local executives to reproduce the materials as a step to widen and speed up the circulation of the printed materials within their respective constituencies. The move came at the heels of studies made by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) showing that Metro Manila’s daily waste generation (DWG) has risen to 8,746 tons from 8,400 tons in 2010.

“With almost a 24-percent share in the national daily waste generation of 35,000 tons in 2010, getting 15.5 million residents of Metro Manila to segregate their waste ‘at source’ or at household level will definitely have a cascading impact on the overall effort in transforming our people into a nation of into environmentally-proactive, environmentally-concerned citizens of the land,” Paje stressed.

This point was supported by MMDA General Manager Corazon Jimenez who said that the DENR’s intensified campaign for mandatory segregation shores up MMDA’s efforts to bring down Metro Manila’s daily waste generation by 50 percent.

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Dirty pilgrims

It is often said, “cleanliness is next to godliness.” What then are we to make of so-called devotees who made a mess—literally—of their Holy Week rituals?

Over the weekend, a waste and pollution watchdog decried the littering that marred the “Alay-Lakad” penitential walk of thousands of Catholic faithful last Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, which incidentally was the 42nd Earth Day.

“We are saddened by the seemingly apathetic pilgrims who spoiled the penitential trail to Antipolo Cathedral with plastic rubbish and other garbage,” said Basura Patroller Manny Calonzo of EcoWaste Coalition.

“While we’re delighted to see families and friends walk together to fulfill their sacrificial vows, we could not help but moan about the uninspiring environmental indifference of some pilgrims as if Mother Earth does not matter,” he said.

“Littering was so extensive even though it is banned by [Republic Act] 9003 and related local environmental laws,” Calonzo added.

The long stretch of Ortigas Avenue Extension that traverses Pasig City, Cainta and Taytay, Rizal, and Antipolo City, was littered with assorted trash such as clear plastic bags for drinking water and samalamig (coolers), plastic straws, cups and bottles, chips wrappers, paper scraps, cigarette butts and food leftovers, EcoWaste Coalition noted.

The Antipolo Cathedral—home to La Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buenviaje, which some Catholics regard as a miraculous icon—was carpeted with scattered newspapers discarded by pilgrims, which kept church caretakers very busy on Earth Day.

Calonzo quoted parish personnel interviewed by the EcoWaste Coalition on Friday morning saying that 15 staff assigned to clean up the church compound were likely to consume the 150 big garbage bags set aside for the massive occasion.

Outside the church, yellow-clad “Clean and Green” personnel of the Antipolo City government swept the roads leading to the Cathedral as small trucks hauled the garbage to a disposal site.

Also, enterprising child and adult wastepickers were seen painstakingly
retrieving recyclables left behind by the pilgrims.

The garbage collected from the church and the streets of Antipolo would then be dumped at the city’s waste disposal facility located in Tanza I, Barangay San Jose, while the recyclables would be sold to junk shops.

“While disappointed with what we saw, we remain optimistic that future pilgrimages to Antipolo will treat Mother Earth more kindly. Next time, please abide by the law and don’t litter,” EcoWaste Coalition said in a press statement.

RA 9003, also known the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, lists littering, throwing and dumping of waste matters in public places as prohibited acts under the law’s penal provision.

Antipolo City, which produces 139 tons of trash daily, has enacted Ordinance 2008-287, also known as the “Basura Code,” which prohibits littering, while Ordinance 2009-370, bans plastic bags and polystyrene containers.

For next year’s “Alay-Lakad,” EcoWaste Coalition has proposed that local authorities deploy “litter-busters” all throughout Ortigas Avenue Extension and other major roads leading to Antipolo Cathedral to apprehend environmental offenders, “only then will litterbugs start to
break the dirty habit.”

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Metro LGUs to receive P1M for solid waste management

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will release P1 million each to all 17 local government units (LGUs) in Metro Manila to support their programs to manage solid waste.

DENR chief Ramon Paje said the support fund will be given to make sure that LGUs in the country’s capital region will comply with Republic Act (RA) 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

“The DENR is ready to provide as much as P1 million to each LGU within Metro Manila to assist them in monitoring the compliance, particularly of subdivisions and condominiums, in the implementation of RA 9003," he said in a statement Sunday.

He added that he has already coordinated with the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chair Francis Tolentino regarding the support fund.

LGUs are expected to use the fund to enhance waste segregation from households and other sources, and to utilize the help of non-government organizations (NGOs) to formulate an effective waste management system, especially in residential areas, according to Paje.

He added that the release of the fund will be covered by a memorandum of agreement between the DENR and the LGU, which will determine the subdivisions and other neighborhoods that will become beneficiaries of the fund.

“Compliance to the law is only a matter of discipline. With strict enforcement of the law, discipline will surely follow," he said.

RA 9003 mandates all LGUs to be responsible of solid waste management in their respective areas.

Based on DENR records, Metro Manila households and industries generate more than 8,700 tons of garbage a day—around 25 percent of the country’s total daily solid waste.

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Pinoys start Holy Week with Palm Sunday Mass

Filipino Catholics started the Holy Week on Sunday with Eucharistic rites that focus on remembrance of the triumphant entry of Jesus Christ to Jerusalem.

In many churches in Metro Manila, churchgoers waved "palaspas" (palm fronds) at the priest, as they call to mind the similar act Christ's followers did to greet him when he entered Jerusalem. Also, at certain points of the Palm Sunday Eucharistic rites, the faithful hold their palm fronds aloft as the priest sprinkles Holy Water on them.

They also recalled Christ's subsequent Passion and Death as the Gospel passages detailing these events were read during the Mass.

Priests wore scarlet to symbolize Christ's shedding of blood as his supreme sacrifice.

Sunday's activities ushered in the Holy Week, where Filipinos recall Christ's suffering and death, and his eventual Resurrection on Easter Sunday.

In Quezon City, radio dzBB's Manny Vargas reported vendors were selling palm fronds from P10 to P25.

Appeal for 'green' Holy Week

Meanwhile, a Catholic bishop and an environmental group called on Filipino Catholics to observe a “green" or environmentally friendly Holy Week from April 17 to 24.

Caloocan bishop Deogracias Iñiguez Jr. said a green Holy Week is a timely call in response to the wastefulness that threatens the environment.

"A green Holy Week is a timely call in response to the wastefulness and greed that is blatantly trashing our fragile environment. I encourage everyone to plan for an earth-friendly and spiritually-nourishing week. As stewards of God’s Creation, it is our shared responsibility to respect and preserve Mother Earth and protect her ability to support and perpetuate life," Iñiguez said.

He also pointed out this year’s “Alay Kapwa" theme is “Our Neighbor and Environment, Our Responsibility."

“Let our Christian faith radiates in the way we relate and nurture the environment," said Iñiguez, who heads the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines public affairs unit.

For its part, the EcoWaste Coalition also noted that this year's Earth Day coincides with Good Friday.

“We are inviting the faithful to celebrate the Holy Week with a pledge to cut back on garbage and pollution as part of our spiritual works of penance, charity and reconciliation. Abstaining from wasteful consumption during the holidays and beyond augurs well for both Mother Earth and the future of our climate change-threatened nation," EcoWaste president Roy Alvarez said.

He added the fact that this year's Earth Day falls on Good Friday is indeed good for the environment as this should "mean less cars on the streets, less energy use in malls, less noise, less non-essential consumption and less garbage."

"Let Good Friday be a Good Earth Day as well," he added.

Holy Week not a vacation

Holy Week should be a time for conversion and not vacation, Catholic bishops reminded Filipino Catholics over the weekend.

Batanes Bishop Camillo Gregorio lamented the habit of some Catholics to observe Holy Week by going on vacation somewhere, such as the beach in Boracay.

“It’s saddening because Holy Week has become a time for vacation for some people. They forgot that it is a time and opportunity for a deeper conversion. This is also a time where we can be one with God," he said in an interview on Church-run Radio Veritas.

Excerpts of the interview were posted Friday night on the Union of Catholic Asian News website.

But Gregorio said he is hoping that the faithful will learn the importance of silence in the observance in the coming days from Palm Sunday up to Easter Sunday.

“There is a reason why God taught us how to be silent and that is a very good lesson for all us. Let us be silent so as to deepen our faith and reflection," he said.

“That is my advice to everyone. Allow the Lord to enter you in the hours of this silence in your hearts," he added.

For his part, Cotabato Auxiliary Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo echoed Bishop Gregorio’s appeal to the faithful.

“Holy Week is a time when we relive the passion and death of Christ which led to our salvation," he said.

“This week is not for rest and recreation, rather it’s a time for prayer and sacrifice," he added.

Spend Holy Week with charitable works

Instead of just the usual Visita Iglesia, one can spend Holy Week visiting the sick in hospitals, or doing other charitable work, a Catholic bishop suggested.

Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said such activities can reinforce the traditional activities like the Visita Iglesia and Stations of the Cross.

“As we keep our pious practices like the Stations of the Cross, confessions, Visita Iglesia and penitensiya, let us also consider making acts of charity to the poor as the way to share in the spirit of the Lenten season," Villegas said in an article posted on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines news site.

He said doing acts of charity can be an alternative way of spending the Holy Week meaningfully.

The prelate said one may “consider visiting 14 patients in our government hospitals and meditate, as you visit them, on the sufferings of Christ."

Near them, one can see “how the sufferings of Christ continue in the midst of us," he said.

"Prayers can be inspiring and penances can be admirable but only love can redeem. Only love saves. Love alone sanctifies us," he added.

Villegas also recommended jail visitation as another way to share God’s love and mercy to those behind bars.

“We can bring them our prayers and greetings and volunteer to be couriers of their letters that they want to send to their loved ones who are unable to visit them," he said.

Villegas said one can also bring food and clothes to the poor in honor of Jesus’ humiliation at Calvary.

He recalled the late Pope John Paul II’s visit to the Philippines in 1981, when lepers from Tala Leprosarium were brought to him so he could bless them.

Yet, the Pope knelt before a leper and kissed his leprous hands and exclaimed, “My Lord!"

“Give love this Lenten season. Pour love into your prayers. Let your penance overflow into charity," Villegas stressed.

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Editorial: Earth Day 2011

FOR the first time, the celebration of Earth Day, April 22, falls on a Good Friday. That gives this environmental event a religious tone. It’s only right, I guess. We are the stewards of the Earth. We have a responsibility to take good care of God’s creation.

“As stewards of God’s Creation, it is our shared responsibility to respect and preserve Mother Earth and protect her ability to support and perpetuate life,” said Kalookan Bishop Deogracias S. Iñiguez, Jr. in a statement posted in the CBCP news website.

The environmental group Ecowaste Coalition has released 12 down-to-earth suggestions for a greener observance of the death and resurrection of Christ the Redeemer. (http://ecowastecoalition.blogspot.com/). We edited them for brevity.

1. No littering please. Ensure that nothing is wasted nor littered as you accomplish your vows to the Most High. Remember: “Do not defile the land in which you live and in the midst of which I dwell.” (Numbers 35: 34)

2. Shun disposables. Avoid single-use items such as plastic bags, water bottles and beverage cups as you perform your Lenten plans. Be guided by this timely reminder from our bishops: “eliminate wasteful consumption” (CBCP Statement “Upholding the Sanctity of Life,” November 2008).

3. Power down. Drive less to cut fossil fuel use and slash greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming and climate change. For planned “Visita Iglesia”, consider doing your pilgrimage online at http://visitaiglesia.net

4. Call off expensive, non-essential long distance trips and consider giving the money saved to the “Alay-Kapwa” program or to your favorite charitable causes.

5. If you are planning a family or “barkada” (circle of friends) outing to the mountain, lake or the sea, please abide by the eco-creed "take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time."

6. Say no to plastic carry bags. Cut your consumption of wasteful plastic bags by bringing your own “bayong” or reusable shopping bags.

7. Save trees. Bring your own handkerchief or towel to limit the use of disposable tissue while you battle the heat during the “Via Crucis” (stations of the cross), penitential services and liturgical celebrations.

8. Go for tobacco-free and alcohol-free “Pabasa”. Keep the “pabasa” a healthy neighborhood spiritual affair by making the “kubol” and its immediate vicinity a “no smoking, no drinking” zone.

9. Say no to Styro. Choose reusable over disposable cups, plates and cutlery for meals and drinks served to "pabasa" readers;

10. Avoid overdoing the "carrozas” for the Good Friday “Santo Entierro” procession, enhancing them only with biodegradable stuff like sampaguita and other natural flowers and plants.

11. Go for simple, eco-friendly Easter "Salubong" sans firecrackers and confetti to commemorate the heavenly encounter between the risen Christ and “Mater Dolorosa” (sorrowing mother).

12. If you are planning to do Easter egg hunt, only use natural ingredients or dyes to color the eggs. Promote a healthy and balanced diet by not giving kids junk food treats.

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Coalition urges public to cut back waste

The EcoWaste Coalition called on the public to cut back on wasteful consumption as a form of penance this Lenten season and observe a “green” Holy Week.

The environmental watchdog said cutting back on garbage and pollution can also be a part of the spiritual works an individual can do during the Holy Week. Aside from being considered an act of penance, the group said it can also be an act of charity and reconciliation.

EcoWaste Coalition president Roy Alvarez said that refraining from wasteful consumption will do good for both Mother Earth and the future of our climate change-threatened nation.

Alvarez added that our Christian faith should radiate in the way we relate and nurture the environment.

Meanwhile, Caloocan Bishop Deogracias S. Iñiguez Jr. also encourages the faithful to spend the Holy Week in a spiritually nourishing and earth-friendly way.

“A green Holy Week is a timely call in response to the wastefulness and greed that is blatantly trashing our fragile environment,” he said.

Bishop Iñiguez, who also heads the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Permanent Committee on Public Affairs cited that the call for respect and care to both person and the environment is very timely considering the theme for this year’s Alay Kapwa is “Our Neighbor and Environment, Our Responsibility.”

The bishop added that as stewards of God’s creation, it is our shared responsibility to respect and preserve Mother Earth and protect her ability to support and perpetuate life.

Bishop Iñiguez further said the fact that Earth Day this year will fall on Good Friday, is indeed good for the environment as this should mean less cars on the streets, less energy use in malls, less noise, less non-essential consumption and less garbage. Let Good Friday be a Good Earth Day as well,” the bishop added.

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Manila Bay, Pasig River informal settlers ask for SC protection

Members of the Urban Poor Associates (UPA) asked the Supreme Court to require government agencies to follow Republic Act 7279 or the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992 to protect not only the environment but the urban poor as well.

In a 15-page motion to issue compliance of RA 7279, the group said it should protect the housing rights of the urban poor especially those who live near Pasig River and Manila Bay.

While they said that they are not against the Manila Bay clean up, it would be better for the government to protect and preserve Manila Bay but also the right of the people who live nearby.

Early this month, the high court gave the Department of Environment and Natural Resources up to June 30 this year to submit a comprehensive plan on how to carry out its order.

The comprehensive plan would specify the duties and functions of each government agency included in the cleanup.

In 2008, the high court upheld the decisions of the Imus Cavite Regional Trial Court and the Court of Appeals requiring the DENR, the Manila Metropolitan Development Authority (MMDA) and 6 other government agencies to undertake specific tasks that would lead to the coordinated cleanup, restoration and preservation of Manila Bay.

The high court also gave the DENR until Sept. 30, 2011 to submit the names and addresses of persons and companies in Metro Manila, Rizal, Laguna, Cavite, Bulacan, and Bataan that generate toxic and hazardous waste.

The Manila Bay clean-up decision has put to task the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to order all local government heads in Metro Manila, Laguna, Cavite, Bulacan and Bataan to inspect all factories, commercial establishments and residences along the banks of the Pasig-Marikina-San Juan rivers, the Navotas-Malabon-Tullahan-Tenejeros rivers, the Meycauayan-Marilao-Obando (Bulacan) rivers, the Talisay (Bataan) River, the Imus (Cavite) River, the Laguna de Bay and other minor rivers and waterways that eventually discharge water into the Manila Bay.

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