THE Baguio Regreening Movement (BRM) is questioning the planned amendment of portions of the City Ordinance 35 or the "No plastic and styrofoam use" in the city of Baguio and the ban on backyard piggeries.
During the weekly "Talakayan sa Environment Code" BRM chairman lawyer Erdolfo Balajadia said the planned amendment seems to favor some merchants, despite the ongoing crafting of the implementing rules and regulations on the ban of plastic.
"There is again a plan to amend the plastic ordinance in order to accommodate those who are selling these wet products. For me, why should we amend it in order to accommodate these merchants selling wet products?" Balajadia questioned.
Ordinance No. 35-17 prohibits business establishments from providing any customer any plastic bag or polystyrene foam container for goods or items purchased or serving food or drink, take out or dine in to customers in polystyrene containers or in plastic bags and will cover all business activities and establishments in the city including city government schools and offices.
"If you allow any exemptions, there will be no end. There will be a domino effect, when you talk of the city market, are you also talking of satellite markets and lesser outlets of wet products. When will this end," added Balajadia.
The ban on plastic is set to be fully implemented next month following a three-month transition period since May for the public to use paper bags instead of plastic sando bags.
Aside from amending the no plastic ordinance, Balajadia was informed of a move to amend the ordinance banning backyard piggery in the city.
"I was also informed of some members of the city council's move to amend the ordinance on backyard piggeries. There were lots of pigs and they are throwing their waste products in rivers and creeks, not to mention the door. Why should we tone this down, shall we not educate our people," Balajadia questioned.
Backyard piggeries with 644 pigs in the city are set to be demolished by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Cordillera Administrtaive Region (DENR-CAR) for drastically affecting the water ways of the city leading to the Balili river.
DENR-CAR OIC for Environment Reynaldo Degamo explained the backyard piggery operations discharges coming from five Barangays in the city as identified by the Environmental Management Bureau is one of the major pollutants of the various tributaries of major water systems in the city because some of the piggeries allow the waste from the piggeries to directly flow to the city's water system passing along the Bued and Balili river which is considered to be punishable by law.
