President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday called on Filipinos to join government efforts to achieve a “climate-smart” Philippines amid the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic.
“I join the entire nation and the global community in celebrating Earth Day 2021. This occasion reminds us of our inherent responsibility to take care of our planet,” Duterte said in his Earth Day message broadcasted over the PINASiglang Mundo webcast.
Duterte emphasized the importance of joining government projects and programs pushing for a greener Philippines.
“This Earth Day, let us work with renewed vigor to engage our people, our local communities, our industries, and all other stakeholders in our efforts to achieve a climate-resilient and climate-smart Philippines,” he said.
Meanwhile, Speaker Lord Allan Velasco on Thursday sounded an urgent call to address plastic pollution which has become one of the world’s most pressing environmental issues.
As the Philippines joins the global community in celebrating Earth Day, Velasco said a “compelling need to introduce direct and tangible actions” to curb plastic pollution, such as imposing a ban on harmful and unnecessary single-use plastic products.
“We should be more determined and proactive in eradicating plastic pollution. We are racing against time to save our planet,” Velasco said.
Duterte said a healthy natural environment can actively impact a nation’s health.
“As we recover from the adverse effects of COVID-19 pandemic on our lives and economy, let us always bear in mind that a healthy nation is anchored on a healthy and sound natural environment,” he added.
In a Palace press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque also reminded Filipinos to properly dispose of used face masks and face shields to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 and reduce the negative impact on the environment.
“At the time of a pandemic, we can help in little ways by properly disposing of used face masks and face shields. Let us do this and teach this to our children,” he added.
Roque also reminded the public that the Philippines is extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
“The Philippines is one of the countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Because of this, the issue of climate change is relevant to the Philippines,” he added.
Duterte, in his speech at the High-Level Debate of the 75th United Nations General Assembly in September last year, stressed the need to address climate change as urgently as the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The same urgency needed to fight COVID-19 is needed to address the climate crisis. This is a global challenge that has worsened existing inequalities and vulnerabilities from within and between nations,” Duterte said.
Citing data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Velasco said that over 300 million tons of plastic are produced worldwide every year with at least 8 million tons ending up into the oceans, ultimately threatening the ecosystems of marine wildlife.
Velasco said the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has even made the situation worse with the production and importation in large quantities of personal protective equipment or PPE to fight the coronavirus.
“All these end up in open landfills and the ocean, adding to the already worsening problem of pollution,” he lamented, adding that these plastic pollutants are “very harmful to both marine animals and humans.”
According to IUCN, marine species ingest or are entangled by plastic debris, which causes severe injuries and deaths. It added that plastic pollution threatens food safety and quality, human health, coastal tourism, and contributes to climate change.
Velasco said one recent event that has revealed the extent of plastic pollution on the planet was the historic dive of Dr. Deo Florence Onda, a microbial oceanographer from the University of the Philippines-Marine Science Institute, to the Emden Deep, the world’s third deepest point.
While the Filipino nation celebrated this feat, Velasco noted that the explorers have also witnessed the presence of plastic debris and fabric waste pollution at the astounding depth of 10,045 meters.
“Indeed, pollution has reached the deepest recesses of nature, which is God’s gift for all of humanity,” he said. “This is an alarming reality that should serve as a wake-up call for the entire humanity.”
Velasco said that while the task may seem to be extremely difficult or nearly impossible to achieve, “we need to take steps before our land and ocean are overwhelmed with plastic waste and we are deprived of our much-needed food supply and balanced biodiversity.”
To help address this need, Velasco said the House of Representatives under his leadership has committed to finding better and more efficient solutions to address the problems regarding pollution and climate change and be able to adjust to the sustainable new normal under these trying times.
Velasco is one of the proponents of House Bill 9147, which proposes to regulate the production, importation, sale, distribution, provision, use, recovery, collection, recycling and disposal of single-use plastic products. The bill is currently under consideration for second reading.
“The measure also provides steps for the eventual phasing out of single-use plastic products, a step that is from all accounts, one in the right direction,” Velasco said.
Among other objectives, the bill aims to protect life, both land and water, from hazards posed by plastic pollution and to ensure that non-compostable single-use synthetic plastic products do not leak into nature. It also seeks to promote circularity through reduction, reuse and recycling of plastic trash.
In a related development, Deputy Minority leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate, called on the Duterte administration to “defend the Philippine’s environment and resources from China’s exploitation.”
“China’s expansionist and militaristic base building has already caused massive environmental damage to our country and is depleting our natural resources. The Duterte administration should act now to stop these environmentally degrading activities or there would be nothing left for future generations,” Zarate said.
He said environmental and scientist groups like Kalikasan, Agham and Homonhon have reported many instances of China’s “destructive activities, and they are staggering and alarming.”
“Agham, for example, said that Chinese activities in the disputed seascapes in the West Philippine Sea resulted in at least 16,000 hectares of destroyed reefs as of 2017. The damage is estimated to reach up to P 33.1 billion per year if the encroachment continues,” said Zarate.
“Homonhon meanwhile said that dredging and mining operations were ongoing in the Davao Region, Central Mindanao, Northern Luzon, and other Visayas regions with the soil dumped to build China’s structures in the West Philippine Sea,” he added.
“Also, fears of fish shortage surfaced amid reports that as much as 240,000 kilos, or more than 260 tons, are illegally taken daily by Chinese fishing vessels that had massed at the Julian Felipe Reef since March, thereby depleting the fish catch of Filipino fisherfolks. This will worsen, especially with the latest defeatist statement of the president,” Zarate said.
He said these attacks on the country and destruction of its environment have got to stop. “We hold the Duterte administration accountable for these continuing environmental injustices due to its subservience to China’s interests.”
Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to raise awareness on efforts to protect the planet from pollution and deforestation.
Considered the largest civic observance in the world, over 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year.