Gatchalian: Plastic ban should be studied first

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian. INQUIRER.net / Cathy Miranda

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian does not see the plastic ban happening soon.

Gatchalian thinks that the total ban on plastic should be studied first to figure out how to sustain it in the long run.

“I think pag-aaralan natin. I don’t think mangyayari ito this year or next year, but we have to have a timeframe to make it sustainable… dahil kung inoutright ban natin… wala tayong ipapampalit at magiging pabigat naman ‘to sa consumers natin,” the senator said.

(I think we should study it. I don’t think it will happen this year or next year, but we have to have a timeframe to make it sustainable…because if we ban it outright…. there will be no alternative and it will be a burden to our consumers.)

As alternative to plastic, paper will be used and Gatchalian believes that there is not enough raw material for that as of now.

“We have to also study dahil ang kapalit no’n, gagamit tayo ng papel at ang raw material ng papel ay puno,” Gatchalian noted on Tuesday.

“So we have to make sure that kaya nating i-sustain ang supply ng papel na may puno tayo dahil alam natin na meron tayong log ban,” he added in an interview.

In February 2018, it was reported that President Rodrigo Duterte ordered to stop all logging activities in the Zamboanga Peninsula after being informed of the massive denudation in the area.

Gatchalian clarified that the plastic ban may be possible as long as there are enough trees as raw materials.

“Doon tayo ngayon nagkakaroon ng issue. Papayagan ba nating putol ng putol ng puno? Or mag-iimport tayo pero ‘pag nag-import tayo, alam naman natin mahal rin,” Gatchalian said.

(This is where we’ll going to have an issue. Are we going to allow serial cutting of trees? Or we’ll just import, but in importation we know that it will cost us.)

“So we have to balance for now,” he continued. Kristine Macasiray / INQUIRER.net Intern /jpv