DISTINGUISHED GUESTS, ESTEEMED ADVOCATES, AND CHAMPIONS OF CIRCULARITY, A PLEASANT MORNING TO ALL AND HAPPY WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY.

AS WE GATHER TO COMMEMORATE WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY AND PHILIPPINE ENVIRONMENT MONTH, I AM PLEASED TO REPORT THAT SINCE THE EXTENDED PRODUCERS’ RESPONSIBILITY ACT WAS SIGNED TWO YEARS AGO, WE HAVE REACHED OUR PLASTICS DIVERSION TARGET FOR 2023, WHICH IS 20 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL GENERATED BY OBLIGATED ENTERPRISES.

THE DEPARTMENT ORDER SETTING THE GUIDELINES FOR THE E-P-R AUDIT THAT WE WILL SIGN TODAY WILL ALSO HELP US IN MAKING SURE THAT THESE REPORTS FROM THE OBLIGED ENTERPRISES HAVE INTEGRITY AND THAT FULL ACCOUNTING CAN BE ESTABLISHED ON THESE PARTICULAR SUBMISSIONS.

THANKS TO THE PARTNERSHIP OF THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR WHO HAVE MADE SIGNIFICANT STRIDES TOWARDS THIS GOAL. AN ESTIMATED AMOUNT OF PLASTIC PACKAGING TOTALING 124,986 TONS, OR 20 PERCENT OF THE 624,547 TONS HAS ALREADY BEEN PART OF THE UNAUDITED FOOTPRINT FOR PLASTICS IN 2023. THESE WILL BE NOW DIVERTED AWAY FROM THE FLOW OF OUR SOLID WASTE.

WE THANK THE PRIVATE ENTERPRISES – AND I WISH TO CITE NESTLE IN PARTICULAR WHO HAS TAKEN THE LEAD IN ENCOURAGING OUR MANY OBLIGED ENTERPRISES TO SIGN UP AND COMPLY — WHO HAVE COMMITTED TO CARRY OUT THE PRINCIPLES OF THE EPR LAW IN THEIR VALUE CHAIN.

I ALSO WISH TO THANK S-M SUPERMALLS FOR THEIR SUPPORT IN HAVING THE ADVOCACIES OF THE DENR SPREAD THROUGH THEIR DIFFERENT PLATFORMS. HERE WE ARE EXPRESSLY THANKFUL BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THE MALLS ARE GREAT GENERATORS OF SOLID WASTE BUT WE ALSO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY HERE TO DIVERT, AS WELL. SO, THANKS TO THE OWNERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT OF S-M, WE ARE ABLE TO CAPITALIZE ON THIS CAPACITY THAT THEY HAVE TO DIVERT IN TERMS OF THE WASTES THAT ARE BEING GENERATED.

WE HAVE SEEN THIS NUMBER OF OUR OBLIGED ENTERPRISES INCREASE TO 917. AS OF MAY 6, 2024, WE ARE CLOSE TO OUR TARGET OF 1,000 REGISTERED EPR PROGRAMS. OF THE TOTAL, SIXTY ARE FROM LARGE ENTERPRISES AND SIX ARE FROM MICRO-SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES OR MSMES. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU FOR ACHIEVING THIS TARGET THROUGH WASTE COLLECTION AND DIVERSION, INCLUDING RECOVERY, TRANSPORTATION, AND CLEANUP EFFORTS IN COASTAL AND PUBLIC AREAS.

WITH THIS RESPONSE, I AM OPTIMISTIC THAT THE PHILIPPINES WILL REACH THE EPR TARGET WITH ALL YOUR SUPPORT AND THAT OF CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS, CORPORATIONS, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, IN RECOVERING AND DIVERTING 80 PERCENT OF OUR PLASTIC WASTE BY 2028.

WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK TOGETHER TO RAISE AWARENESS, ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION AND PENALIZE SOME BUSINESS IN ORDER TO PROMOTE THIS ADVOCACY.

THE WORK OF THE D-E-N-R ON E-P-R CANNOT BE DONE WITHOUT THE INCLUSION OF OUR WASTE WORKERS INTO THE FORMAL VALUE CYCLE OF THE SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT INDUSTRY. SO WE ARE WORKING VERY HARD TO SUPPORT THE MAGNA CARTA FOR WASTE WORKERS. WE WILL BE WORKING WITH PARTNERS SUCH AS MOTHER EARTH FOUNDATION IN ORDER TO MAKE THAT A REALITY.

THROUGH THE DIALOGUES THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO ENGAGE IN, WE AIM HIGH TO EXTEND OUR REACH TO MORE OBLIGED ENTERPRISES, EMPHASIZING THE ROLE OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR IN MAKING THIS VISION HAPPEN.

THIS IS THE SECOND YEAR OF E-P-R IMPLEMENTATION AND THE CHALLENGES WE FACE ARE MULTI-FACETED. SO, WE NEED ALL HANDS ON DECK IN ORDER FOR US TO ADDRESS THIS COMPLEX BUT PROMISING SITUATION IN TERMS OF MANAGING OUR SOLID WASTE BETTER.

WE NEED TO ADDRESS THE INEQUITIES IN THE SYSTEM. WE NEED TO ENCOURAGE ACCESS TO MORE RECYCLING FACILITIES. AND, WE NEED TO LOOK ESPECIALLY TOWARDS OUR RURAL AND COASTAL COMMUNITIES AND TO ENGAGE THEM AS WELL. THEY ARE THE FRONTLINES IN TERMS OF POLLUTION THAT REACH OUR OCEANS. THEY ARE THE FIRST TO BE AFFECTED WHEN STORM SURGES BRING OUR SOLID WASTE BACK TO OUR SHORES.

AS PARTNERS FOR AN INCLUSIVE AND RESILIENT FUTURE, WE REMAIN COMMITTED — AND I HOPE THAT YOU WILL STAY WITH US THROUGHOUT THIS JOURNEY – TO THE PRINCIPLES OF EXTENDED PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY ACT, THE CIRCULARITY THAT WE NEED TO ACHIEVE IN TERMS OF OPTIMIZING SUSTAINABLE USE AS WELL AS SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION OF PACKAGING MATERIALS.

UNITED, WE CAN BRING ALL OF THIS TOGETHER IN MANAGING OUR ENVIRONMENT AND BUILDING A FUTURE WHERE WASTE IS MINIMIZED, RESOURCES ARE OPTIMIZED, OUR COMMUNITIES ARE SAFER IN TERMS OF THEIR OWN PUBLIC HEALTH AND DISASTER RISK, AND OUR CLIMATE IMPACT WILL ALSO BE MITIGATED. HOPEFULLY, THE BALANCE OF OUR PLANET CAN THEN BE RESTORED SLOWLY BUT SURELY.

MARAMING SALAMAT AT MABUHAY TAYONG LAHAT. ###