Environmentalists back ban on burning of leaves

CEBU, Philippines - Environmentalists welcome the recently-passed House Bill 4271 banning the traditional, small-scale community incineration or “siga,” practically prohibiting the burning of leaves, paper and plastic.

"This is a very welcome development considering the practice of "siga" is still common. We have seen the tremendous impact of indiscriminately throwing our garbage especially during rainy season. We saw a sheath of garbage floating in the major streets in Cebu city. Plastics are scattered everywhere. It is high time that we give more or increase the penalty to those erring persons if only to deter them from throwing their wastes," said DENR-7 spokesman Eddie Llamedo.

Benjamin Cabrido, an environmental lawyer and chairman of the board of trustees of the Philippine Earth Justice Center (PEJC), said that the best method in doing away with organic or biodegrable wastes is composting not burning.

"Effective enforcement and education of existing environmental laws should be given more attention by local and national government authorities," said Lisa Osorio, co-founder of PEJC.

Llamedo said that beyond a revision of the law to be passed, there should be a change of attitude in terms of our commitment to promote solid waste management as a way of life, a habit.

"The government simply cannot address the problem of garbage alone.  People or community should be actively involved to help in policing or monitoring. Segregation at the household level should be strengthened," Llamedo added.

Osorio added that solid wastes should be properly managed and should be a priority among our local government units

House Bill 4271 seeks to amend Section 20 of Republic Act No. 8749, otherwise known as the Clean Air Act of 1999.

The bill also aims to increase the penalty for burning of solid wastes by amending Republic Act 9003, otherwise known as the "Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000."

"The cultural belief that burning leaves is good for trees has no scientific basis whatsoever. The resulting smoke is a daily nuisance for all Filipinos who have to breathe the polluted air,” Bagong Henerasyon Partylist Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy said in a press release.

Dy, who authored the bill, added that seven million people died in 2012 due to air pollution and one in every eight deaths is caused by air pollution hazard diseases. (FREEMAN)