Update: Plastic Ordinance in Bacolod

After all the talk about the huge plastic ordinance that was set to take place on November 23, there has been very little changed since then.

Apparently, after all the articles in the newspapers, none bothered to mention that only sando bags were being made illegal on November 23. The rest of the ordinance will start to take place over a period of time (when? how long?). No one apparently knows when the other part of the ordinance will start to take place. However, nothing has seemed to change.

The only shop that has switched from plastic bags so far seems to be UniCity (if you haven't bought your Christmas tree yet, but it from there! It's the cheapest in town). UniCity is now using paper bags. Of course, the paper is very low quality, but apparently, that's all they could find in such a short notice from the city government.

As far as changes at Central Market and Libertad, there hasn't been any. The "sando bags" the government was so ready to get rid of were already almost non-existent. Therefor, nothing has yet to change as far as environment protection.

McDonald's has also changed from plastic take away bags to using paper.

Update Dec. 3, 2012
Some changes have been made at Libertad and Central Market regarded certain types of bags. Now rice is being put in clear plastic without handles. I suggest everyone to bring their own bags when going to Libertad or Central Market!

Green Energy VS Coal Energy in the Philippines

The Visayan Daily Star is reporting today more information about the Department of Energy deciding whether to build a new coal powered plant near Bacolod City or build more green energy plants.

“If we go RE, it’s going to be more expensive source of energy, so we need to keep a balance of what we can afford…and what the environment can afford,” Petilla said.

Indeed, but it's not just about the environment. The Philippines does not regulate coal mining as much as they should. Death, cancer, and other illnesses occur due to the dust particles and poor mining practices around the country.

New Plastic Ordinance

A new plastic ordinance is going into effect in Bacolod on November 23, 2012. The ordinance states that shops can no longer give out plastic bags. The article listed at Sun Star says that the city will put two people in charge of carrying out the ordinance in each barangay.

Bacolod City Councilor Em Legaspi-Ang says:

We are aware of hurricane Sandy that hit America recently. Water rose in the East Coast but it subsided right away because there was no garbage clogging their waterways, unlike in the Philippines