The city government of Puerto Princesa, through the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (City ENRO), will conduct an inventory on the remaining single-use plastic and single-use plastic bags in all business establishments in the city, in preparation for the full implementation of City Ordinance No. 993 that regulates the utilization of single-use plastic starting next year.
This complies with City Ordinance No. 993 signed into law by City Mayor Lucilo R. Bayron on March 6, 2019, and will be in full effect by April 2020.
Senior Environmental Management Specialist Mary Ann Joylle Madriñan said that they will start the inventory this October since the ordinance directed their office to conduct an inventory after the six-month grace period.
The ordinance provides a one-year transition or grace period before its full implementation on April next year.
“Magsasagawa kami ng inventory ng single use plastic at single use plastic bags salahat ng mga business establishments. By October, walanadapatnaka-display na sando bags,” Madriñan told Barangay Sta. Monica residents during the barangay consultative meeting.
Aside from single-use plastic and single-use plastic bags, the use of plastic straws, plastic utensils, plastic coffee stirrers, disposable plastic cups are also going to be prohibited. The use of dtyrofoam containers as primary packaging material is likewise prohibited.
Present during the activity were barangay officials led by Punong Barangay Ronaldo “Mong” Sayang, purok officials, barangay tanod, barangay health aide, health workers, and residents.
All the business establishments in the city were given six months to dispose of the existing stocks of their single-use plastic materials.