By Chito Chavez
With the onset of the campaign period in the local level on Friday, an environmental group called all electoral candidates to keep their political meetings and sorties litter-free, plastic-free and smoke-free.
As aspiring officials in the local government units (LGUs), EcoWaste Coalition urged them to “respect for the environment in words and in deeds’’.
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In batting for a clean and green ecosystem, the Quezon City based group asked all candidates including the party-list groups to back-up their talk with actual deeds as they resort to all sorts of promises including their love for nature and preservation of the environment to woo voters in their favor.
“Our nation is badly in need of local leaders who will bravely take up the cudgels for Mother Earth and all creations amid the unfolding climate, chemical and plastic crisis,” said Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition.
Lucero maintained the country needs dedicated public servants who will help in enforcing laws and regulations that have been or have to be enacted to protect the public health and environment.
“We need leaders who will champion pollution prevention policies and programs to halt the continued degradation of the environment due to wastes and pollutants coming from factories, farms, markets and even from our homes, schools and offices,” she added.
The EcoWaste Coalition has consistently urged candidates to add in the protection and preservation of the environment into their campaign platforms.
Saying that “actions speak louder than words’’, the group reminded candidates to show their being pro-environment by mounting a clean and green campaign.
“Every campaign material used to woo voters – from paper to plastic – has to go somewhere after the election frenzy is over. Some of these materials may be reused, repurposed and recycled, and, regrettably, most may end up being buried or burned and wasted forever,” Lucero said.
To prevent and reduce trash during the election campaign, the EcoWaste Coalition encouraged candidates to observe the following pointers:
- Stick to lawful propaganda materials and allowable campaign spending.
- Avoid campaign materials that are toxic, non-reusable or non-recyclable.
- For paper-based campaign materials, use post-consumer recycled paper.
- Incorporate this reminder on campaign materials: “Para sa ating kalusugan at kalikasan, huwag pong ikalat, itambak o sunugin" or its equivalent in local languages.
- Keep trees, lamp posts, and other disallowed places poster-free.
- Voluntarily take down all illegal campaign materials.
- Keep campaign meetings and sorties litter-free, plastic-free and smoke-free.
- Shun confetti, firecrackers and balloons in campaign events, and immediately conduct post-event cleanup.
- Refrain from using Styrofoam, plastic bags and other single-use containers for meals and drinks.