(Salutations)
ISANG MAKA-KALIKASANG UMAGA SA LAHAT!

TODAY WE COMMEMORATE WITH A GRATIFYING SENSE OF ACHIEVEMENT THE 21ST ANNIVERSARY OF THE SIGNING INTO LAW OF REPUBLIC ACT 9003  OR THE ECOLOGICAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT ACT OF 2000.

HAD RA 9003 BEEN STRICTLY IMPLEMENTED ACCORDING TO ITS TIMELINES, ESPECIALLY IN ITS FIRST 15 YEARS, OUR COUNTRY WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH CLEANER TODAY.

TO RECALL, THIS LAW MANDATED THE CLOSURE OF ALL OPEN DUMPS – THE SITES WHERE SOLID WASTES ARE INDISCRIMINATELY THROWN WITHOUT REGARD TO ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH STANDARDS –  WITHIN 3 YEARS AFTER THE LAW STARTED TAKING EFFECT IN 2001,  AND THEIR CONVERSION INTO CONTROLLED DUMPS,  OR SITES WHERE MINIMUM PRESCRIBED STANDARDS ARE APPLIED.

EVENTUALLY,  CONTROLLED DUMPS WERE TO BE PHASED OUT AS WELL,  IN FAVOR OF SANITARY LANDFILLS,  WHICH ARE WASTE DISPOSAL SITES DESIGNED,  BUILT,  AND OPERATED WITH ENGINEERING CONTROL OVER SIGNIFICANT POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS.

UNFORTUNATELY,  THE IMPLEMENTATION OF RA 9003 DURING ITS FIRST 15 YEARS, OR UNTIL MID-2016,  LEFT A LOT OF WORK UNDONE. AND SO IT FELL UPON THE ADMINISTRATION OF OUR PRESIDENT RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE  TO MAKE UP FOR THE DEFICIENCIES OF THE PAST.

LAST YEAR, WE WERE FINALLY ABLE TO COMPLETE THE CLOSURE OF ALL OPEN DUMPSITES NATIONWIDE  AND TO START THEIR POST-CLOSURE REHABILITATION.

WE WERE ALSO ABLE TO CREATE THE NATIONAL ECOLOGY CENTER,  AS REQUIRED BY THE LAW,  AND THIS WILL PLAY A BIG ROLE IN THE MONTHS AHEAD IN EXPANDING THE PARTICIPATION OF EXPERTS  AS WELL AS THE GENERAL PUBLIC IN INTENSIFIED SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES.

THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS INDEED DONE A GREAT DEAL SINCE IT TOOK OVER IN MID-2016.  IN 2016,  THE NATIONAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT COMMISSION,  WHICH THE DENR ALSO CHAIRS,  HAD APPROVED THE 10-YEAR SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PLANS OF ONLY 253 LGUS;  WE HAVE SINCE INCREASED THIS MORE THAN 4 TIMES,  TO 1,171 LGUS AS OF LAST YEAR.

IN 2016,ONLY 9,883 BARANGAYS HAD MATERIALS RECOVERY FACILITIES;  BY 2021,  BARANGAYS WITH ACCESS TO MRFS HAVE INCREASED TO 16,418.

ALSO IN 2016, ONLY 248 LGUS HAD ACCESS TO SANITARY LANDFILLS;  IN 2021,  THE NUMBER ROSE TO 478,  AN INCREASE OF OVER 92 PERCENT.

IN DECEMBER 2019,  WE ALSO ISSUED GUIDELINES ON THE ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF WASTE-TO-ENERGY FACILITIES FOR THE TREATMENT OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTES.  THIS WAS IN LINE WITH THE LAW’S MANDATE FOR THE NATIONAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK TO INCLUDE RESOURCE RECOVERY,  INCLUDING WASTE-TO-ENERGY GENERATION.

IN APRIL 2020,  WE ISSUED GUIDELINES ON THE MANAGEMENT OF COVID-19-RELATED HEALTHCARE WASTES,  WHICH ARE DEEMED HAZARDOUS.  NEXT, WE DECLARED PLASTIC SOFTDRINK STRAWS AND PLASTIC COFFEE STIRRERS AS NON-ENVIRONMENTALLY-ACCEPTABLE PRODUCTS WARRANTING PHASEOUT.

THEN WE ADOPTED THE NATIONAL PLAN OF ACTION FOR THE PREVENTION,  REDUCTION,  AND MANAGEMENT OF MARINE LITTER, WITH THE GOAL OF ZERO WASTES IN PHILIPPINE WATERS BY 2040.

THE DENR HAS ALSO BEEN TURNING OVER BIOWASTE SHREDDERS AND COMPOSTERS TO LGUS,  TO ENABLE THEM TO REDUCE THE VOLUME OF WASTES FOR DISPOSAL,  PARTICULARLY THE BIODEGRADABLE WASTES THAT COMPRISE AROUND 52 PERCENT OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTES.
THIS WILL NOT ONLY REDUCE THE VOLUME OF RESIDUAL SOLID WASTES, BUT ALSO TRANSFORM THE DIVERTED WASTES INTO COMPOST, AN ORGANIC FERTILIZER.

MOVING FORWARD,  WE ARE SUPPORTING MOVES IN CONGRESS TO AMEND THE RA 9003, TO INSTITUTIONALIZE THE PRACTICE OF EXTENDED PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY ON PLASTIC PACKAGING WASTES. WE ARE ALSO ADVOCATING THE EXTENSION OF PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY TO WASTE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT,  WHICH IS ANOTHER FORM OF HAZARDOUS WASTE.

AND WE ARE ALSO SUPPORTING INITIATIVES IN CONGRESS TO REDUCE PLASTIC WASTES IN OUR WATERBODIES AND TO TRANSITION TO A CIRCULAR ECONOMY.

I MUST STRESS, HOWEVER, // THAT WE NEED NOT JUST A WHOLE-OF-GOVERNMENT  BUT ALSO A WHOLE-OF-SOCIETY APPROACH  TO SUSTAIN OUR MOMENTUM.  ALL STAKEHOLDERS MUST PARTICIPATE ACTIVELY IN REDUCING THE VOLUME OF WASTE GENERATION,  IN SEGREGATING WASTES, AND IN REUSING AND RECYCLING WASTES,  TO REDUCE THE RESIDUAL WASTE STREAM TO ZERO IN THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY THAT WE ARE PUSHING FOR.

AND SO, AS WE CELEBRATE THE 21ST ANNIVERSARY OF RA 9003,  LET US BUILD STRONGER PARTNERSHIPS FOR A WASTE-FREE PHILIPPINES,  TO MAKE A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR THE GENERATIONS TO COME. NASA ATING MGA KAMAY ANG KATUPARAN NITO  DAHIL IKAW, AKO, TAYO ANG KALIKASAN!

MARAMING SALAMAT PO, AT MABUHAY TAYONG LAHAT!