Manila: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday called for an overhaul of the country's 25-year-old solid waste management law, saying outdated policies have left the Philippines struggling with its garbage problem despite government efforts.
According to Philippines News Agency, in his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA), Marcos urged Congress to update the law to support modern waste management technologies and strengthen the country's response to growing environmental challenges. The President emphasized that waste disposal remains a major concern that requires changes in both policy and public behavior amid efforts in cleaning waterways and rivers of garbage.
Marcos stated, 'Sa kabila ng mga ginagawa nating ito, kailangan pa rin nating iwasto ang ating pamamaraan sa pagtapon ng basura (Despite all these efforts, we still need to correct our waste disposal methods).' He further elaborated that updating the 25-year-old Ecological Solid Waste Management Act is a necessary systemic intervention to align it with modern waste management practices, such as waste-to-energy and waste treatment technology.
The President highlighted the need for the law to reflect current technologies and practices. He believes the proposed changes would assist local government units in strengthening garbage collection and disposal while creating opportunities to recover value from waste. Marcos cited the solid waste management practices being implemented by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), including waste recovery, processing, and upcycling.
The Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, or Republic Act No. 9003, is a landmark law that mandates waste segregation at the source, promoting recycling and composting, and prohibiting open dumping. President Marcos also mentioned the MMDA Nature Park in Cavite, formerly the Carmona Sanitary Landfill in the 1990s. He noted that beyond being a multi-purpose green space, it will soon become the base for MMDA's high-level disaster preparedness training and simulation exercises.
