TACLOBAN CITY – Leyte Board Member and chair of the committee on environment and natural resources Roque Tiu has lauded Congress for filing a bill that seeks to ban the usage of plastic bag in the country.
Tiu, who author of the anti-plastic bag ordinance, said that he is happy that there is already a national law that would soon to be implemented once passed by Congress that will strengthen the local ordinance that they crafted to protect the people and environment from the dreadful effect of plastic bag.
“If this law takes effect, it will be easier for the local government units to implement the local version as there is already a national law that supports the banning of the usage of plastic bags,” Tiu said.
The anti-plastic bag of the province of Leyte was passed early this year and will take effect a year after the posting and publication requirements set forth by law, and three years after its effectivity, the use of plastic bags and styrofoam/styrophor is prohibited to be used by all businesses and commercial establishments and houses within the province.
In the region, aside from Leyte, the city of Calbayog had already been implementing their anti-plastic bag ordinance wherein every weekend business establishments are to use alternative bags for packaging their goods.
Meantime, similar measure is also being drafted by the Tacloban city council.
The versions of the House of Representatives and Senate on banning usage of plastic bag was authored by Senator Loren Legarda and Caloocan Representative Oscar Malapitan.
While the provincial ordinance of Leyte promotes the usage of eco-friendly bags such as bayong, bags made of katsa, baskets, paper bags and other alternative bags, the bills both in the Senate and the Lower House requires operators of business establishments to provide bio-degradable plastic bags to costumers and to have a recovery program that will give costumers the opportunity to return used plastic bags.
While Congress had already passed and approved House Bill 4840 or the Plastic Bag Regulation Act of 2011 on the third and final reading, Senate Bill 2729 or the Total Plastic Bag Ban Act of 2011 was just tackled for first reading by members of Senate and was referred to the joint Senate committee on trade and commerce and the committee on environment and natural resources.
Violators of proposed Senate Bill 2729 will be fine of P10,000 for the first offense; P50,000 for the second offense; and P200,000 as well as one year suspension of business permit for the third offense while House Bill 4840 provides fine of not exceeding for P100, 000 for first offense; a fine not exceeding to P250, 000 for second offense; a fine not exceeding P500,000 for the third offense; and a fine of not exceeding P750,000 for the fourth offense as well as automatic revocation of business permits.
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