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FEATURE | DEVCOM

Liberating Gaea: Iloilo City’s Journey to Sustainability

Written by Mdpwn. Franzesca Mari B. Bautista Photos by Mdpn. Jayland E. Singuillo and

Mr. Raynald Cabatbat

Iloilo River Esplanade

She’s beautiful. Her eyes were as blue as the sky; hair as golden as the sun. Her skin was as clear as water; lips covered in blood. Her name was Gaea. Alas, she had been beautiful.

Waves were crashing, the wind was howling—Gaea was angry. Her waters have been flooded with waste. Her children have been killed: sold for their flesh and banished from their homes. Her air has been tainted with fumes. Her earth has been depleted of its resources: trees were cut and mountains were flattened. Her kindness was reciprocated with betrayal. Money reigned supreme—Gaea’s home was a paradise no more. According to an article by Eco-business, the Philippines generates 2.7 million metric tonnes of plastic waste per year. This massive sum of plastic waste has declared the country as the world’s third-biggest polluter. In detail, the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) reports that Filipinos generate 59.7 billion pieces of sachets, 17.5 billion pieces of shopping bags, 16.5 billion pieces of plastic labo bags, and 1.1 billion pieces of diapers annually. Despite the drastic amount of plastics generated globally, most of these are single-use in nature. It is estimated that only 9% of 8,300 million tonnes of produced plastic was recycled. The rest are either,

Molo Plaza, Molo Church and Plaza Libertad

burned, landfilled, or released into the environment. GAIA further highlights in their report that the strict implementation of plastic bag regulation produces dramatically significant results in lowering plastic bag use. In particular, the local government of Iloilo started with the enactment of the Non-Biodegradable Plastic Bag Regulation Ordinance in 2013. The ordinance banned the use of nonbiodegradable plastic bags; encouraging vendors and consumers to use alternative eco-friendly packaging materials or bring their own reusable bags. The said policy was followed by a ban on singleuse plastics this 2020. Iloilo City’s executive order no. 043 prohibits the use of cups less than 0.2 millimeters in thickness, drinking straws, stirrers, plastic utensils, “labo” or thin and translucent plastic bags, and thin filmed sando bags under 15 microns. The bringing of the aforementioned plastic products is banned in all public parks, esplanades, and plazas of the city. According to an article by Panay News, Iloilo City mayor Jerry P. Treñas states that the order was in line with the massive amount of plastic waste regularly being collected from the said locations. The ordinance further mentions that the ban was part of the city’s “solid waste avoidance and minimization strategy”. The local government unit strives to curb the use of plastics that pollute their waterways, kill their marine life, and contribute to the Philippines’ increasing solid waste. “These are really small steps, that can make a difference. What we always say in the movement is that there is no big nor small initiative or vision towards attaining a sustainable future. Whatever step it is, basta maka-contribute (as long as it can contribute) to the environment it’s really good,” Carmela Francesca Adelantar, an environmental activist, said when asked about the importance of the ordinance. On a positive note, Iloilo City’s initiatives seem to have already taken effect for the betterment of the environment. According to the study of Joven (2019), buyers and vendors were well aware of City Ordinance No. 2013043 which bans the use of non-biodegradable plastic. Moreover, they often practiced the provisions under the said ordinance. Similarly, regulations from other LGU’s have also observed positive effects. A report by the Scientist Action and Advocacy Network (ScAAN) discloses that after the implementation of environmental policies, a 3% reduction in total daily waste (4 tonnes) was observed in Muntinlupa; Las Pinas generated only 4% of plastic and styrofoam in their daily waste. Lastly, 90% of the respondents from Antipolo indicated that they bring their own reusable bags. However, notwithstanding these results, activists insist that the environment deserves more laws that

defend it from injustice and exploitation. “We really demand stronger policies that demand climate justice. What are these? Institutionalizing renewable energy, protecting environmental defenders, and many more. Stronger policies ensure our political participation in keeping the democracy in check; in keeping the society that is still represented by these sectors. And also, we have to underline that as the government and institutions, and big companies are complacent and telling lies about climate change, more communities are being vulnerable, more sectors are being vulnerable and susceptible to climate crisis,” Ms. Adelantar stated. In particular, based on the study of Tayong and Millamena (2011), Iloilo City residents disposed of their solid waste via dumping (40.9%), burning (34.3%), burying (21.8%), and composting (2.9%). If these results still prove to be true today, the unsustainable disposal methods will wreak havoc on the environment. “Each of us have this kind of responsibility to fulfill in order to protect our future, to protect the future of the next generation,” persists Carmela. Gaea’s eyes are as hopeful as the sunrise; hair as strong as the mountains. Her skin is as sensitive as our hearts; lips as important as our lives. She had been, and if taken care of, will again be beautiful. Waves were crashing, the wind was howling — humanity was helping. Gaea’s waters are slowly being restored. Her children were rescued: their flesh healed, they were brought back to their homes Her air was being cleaned of fumes. Her earth is being repaired: trees were planted and mountains were rehabilitated. Her blessings shall be reciprocated with compassion. The Earth reigned supreme — Gaea’s home shall be a paradise once more.

WHAT ARE MICROPLASTICS?

Microplastics are small plastic pieces less than five millimeters long which can be harmful to our ocean and aquatic life. They make their way into lakes, rivers and oceans, eventually contaminating our food and water. Much of our food comes wrapped in plastic, which leads to tiny particles breaking off into our meals.

HOW MUCH DO PEOPLE INGEST?

One research review published in June calculated that just by eating, drinking and breathing, Americans ingest at least 74,000 microplastic particles every year. Another recent study commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund and conducted by researchers at the University of Newcastle in Australia estimated that people consume about 5 grams of plastic a week — roughly the equivalent of a credit card.

HOW DOES IT AFFECT HEALTH?

There is evidence, at least in animals, that microplastics can cross the hardy membrane protecting the brain from many foreign bodies that get into the bloodstream. And there’s some evidence that mothers may be able to pass microplastics through the placenta to a developing fetus, according to research that has not yet been published but was presented at a spring conference at the Rutgers Center for Urban Environmental Sustainability.

Sources: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/microplastics.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/youre-literallyeating-microplastics-how-you-can-cut-down-exposure-tothem/2019/10/04/22ebdfb6-e17a-11e9-8dc8-498eabc129a0_ story.html

Sample Microplactics. | Photo source: optimistdaily.com