BAGUIO CITY – The City Council approved on first reading a proposed ordinance mandating all business owners, operators or their authorized representatives, to attend seminars on waste and water management as a pre-requisite for the issuance of their business permits.
The ordinance authored by Councilor Lilia A. Fariñas stated it will be a policy of the local government to mandate all business permit applicants or their duly authorized representatives to attend a seminar on waste on water management as a prerequisite to their business permits.
The zero waste cluster of the Baguio We Want will be designated to be the lead agency in conducting the seminar required, provided that, the organization is accredited by the local government. The Baguio We Want is a citizens’ volunteer group working to promote waste management anchored on sustainable consumption, waste reduction, re-use and recycling, and waste diversion from landfills and incineration, to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce pressure on the city’s constrained natural resources,
The organization shall arrange with the City General Services Office the schedule of seminars, its regularity, the required facilities needed, and the observance of the rules and regulations regarding the use of the venue; determine and justify the required amount a business applicant has to pay to cover for certificates, honoraria of speakers, and other expenses related to the conduct of the seminar subject to the approval of the City Council; locate other possible venues in the event of the unavailability of the city multipurpose hall; inform the public as to the schedules, price, subject and importance of the seminar through publications, radio or television announcements or through posters displayed in conspicuous places and do the necessary activities to ensure the efficiency and effectivity of the seminar.
Under the proposed ordinance, businesses applicants shall not be issued their business permits without the latest proof of their attendance in the said seminar, which shall be a certificate signed by the authorized representative of the concerned agency.
She cited the need for the different communities, including institutions and business establishments to be educated on the pressing issue of waste and water management cannot be emphasized enough, thus, the need for proper legislation and enforcement to ensure that local businesses are informed enough to adopt environmentally sound ways of managing their generated waste.
According to her, the urgency of managing waste resources for efficient energy use, health environment, and a better quality of life is affirmed by the United Nations when it defined responsible consumption and production as one of the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015.
On February 23, 2017, the United Nations declared war on ocean plastic, an unprecedented global campaign of significantly eliminating major sources of marine litter; micro plastics and cosmetics and the excessive, wasteful usage of single-use plastic by 2022.
Each year, more than 8 million tons of plastic ends up in the oceans, wreaking havoc on marine wildlife, fisheries, and tourism, and costing at least $8 billion in damage to marine ecosystems. Up to 80 percent of all litter in the oceans is made of plastic.
By Dexter A. See
