The capital town of Palawan is not yet ready to totally ban plastic bags and other single-use plastic-made containers but can regulate the use of single use plastic for the meantime. City Councilor Nancy Socrates said, “Kung total ban, ano, I don’t think we are ready yet, but it can be regulated kasi we are environmentally conscious.
At ‘yung pagtatapon ng basura medyo naging habit na din natin na itapon sa tamang lugar. So, it actually can be learned at ‘yun nga unti-unti hindi pwedeng ‘sige ban na agad natin yun’. As much as I wanted to ban pero I think mahihirapan tayo.” She said that it will be hard for the people to also remove plastic immediately from their daily lives for plastics are made available for people for “convenience” but she is hoping that the city will arrive to the point that people are educated to avoid using it sooner.
“Ako, personally that is what I am hoping for. But I really know pero matagal natin marating so unti unti, kasi ayaw naman natin ipalabas na pinparusahan na natin yung mga tao di ba? Kasi for some of us, parehong magiging parusa ang labas nun ‘di ba? Kasi the plastic is there for everyone’s convenience ‘di ba? Parang pagtinanggal natin yun it’s so inconvenient for the people. So kaya unti-unti. But ako we really arrive to that point na total ban na talaga,” she told the Palawan Daily News in a phone interview. The councilor advised that the best way to lessen plastic wastes is to strengthen the awareness and start with oneself through using eco-friendly items and non-single use plastics. For Gia Querubin of Binhi, an organization that promotes plastic-free and organic lifestyle, she said that Puerto Princesa will not be ready with something that the City and the society has no experience with (banning of plastics).
“With regards to Puerto Princesa City not being ready for such action, we will never be ready for anything that we don’t have experience of,” Ms. Querubin said that banning plastics may not solve the pollution problem around the globe but it is a great step to lessen it and for the betterment of today’s problems caused by plastic wastes. “Banning plastic may not entirely solve the [problem of plastic pollution] but it is a step that can contribute to the betterment of the current situation.
The same goes for effort like Eco brick, promoting zero waste lifestyle, plastic recycling, etc. these are all just steps that if done alone, cannot necessarily resolve the whole situation but but makes a huge contribution but to the whole and can definitely make a huge difference if done alongside efforts,” she explained. She said that every citizen has the power as an individual to act on issues like these, and more so those government officials that are in position. “We all have the power as an individual to decide an act on social and environmental issues – more so those in position in government or big corporations,” said Querubin.