Aquatic pollution mars PH Greenpeace;

nation among top 5 worst offenders

by Monch Mikko E. Misagal
February 25, 2015
Aquatic pollution is rampant throughout the Philippines, not just in its highly urbanized areas but also along its coastal
communities, a Greenpeace Philippines official said.
If you go island-hopping, you can see garbage, such as shampoo sachets, and plastic materials used to pack
laundry soap and junk food, floating, Greenpeace Philippines Oceans Campaigner Vince Cinches told Manila
Bulletin, in response to Science journals inclusion of the Philippines as among its top five worst offenders in ocean
pollution earlier this year.
Cinches cited the weak implementation of Republic Act (RA) 9003 (Solid Waste Management Act) and RA 9275
(Clean Water Act) due to lack of political will, poor garbage handling practices of some communities, and individual
behaviors as causing the problem.
How we treat our wastes actually reflects [on] us as a nation, on how we treat our environment, Cinches said. We
always collect garbage from [our waters], and clean up in coastal areas, without addressing the problem of how we
are going to reduce our wastes from the household level.
Cinches said that aside from submitting its Roadmap to Recovery, his organization is working with various nongovernmental organizations to implement a national policy on aquatic waste management, and with coastal
communities to strengthen their solid waste management regime.
He added that the Manila Bay, the representative of Philippine seas, has high coliform levels, but scientists and
partners call it an icon of hope.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Undersecretary and concurrent Environmental
Management Bureau Director Atty. Jonas Leones said in a separate interview that the countrys archipelagic form has
contributed to aquatic pollution.
Leones said that to alleviate the problem, DENR is strengthening recycling measures, discouraging people from
using plastics, punishing erring companies, and collaborating with local government units and concerned government
agencies.
We are using landfill facilities in disposing of our wastes, and we dont throw wastes on [waters], he said. Yearly, we
do coastal clean-ups, where we retrieve tons of garbage.
DENR, however, is challenged in relocating informal settlers living near rivers and other water bodies leading to
Manila Bay.
A lot of fish and other marine creatures die because of pollution, Cinches said. Its important for our citizens to
know the impact of garbage on our oceans, because as an archipelagic country, were very reliant on the bounty of
our seas for livelihood and food.

Source: http://www.mb.com.ph/aquatic-pollution-mars-ph-greenpeace-nationamong-top-5-worst-offenders/