Councilors Maria Mylen Victoria Yaranon and Joel Alangsab want to amend the ordinance regulating the sale, distribution, and use of plastic bags and styrofoam in the city in order to clear up any ambiguity the ordinance might have caused to business establishments and consumers.
Yaranon and Alangsab proposed an ordinance amending sections four and five of the Plastic and Styrofoam Free Baguio Ordinance after having received letters from constituents asking to be clarified on its provisions.
A letter was forwarded to Alangsab’s office inquiring whether or not plastic cups were allowed for sale and distribution.
Taking the question into account, Yaranon and Alangsab specified in their proposed amendatory ordinance that plastic straws, plastic stirrers, and plastic utensils will be banned for sale and distribution in business establishments.
“No business as defined in this Ordinance shall provide to any customer any plastic bag, plastic straw, plastic stirrer, plastic utensils; or polystyrene foam container for goods; or items sold or served for food or drink, take out, or dine in to customers in polystyrene or plastic bags or container,” the first paragraph of the proposed amendatory ordinance states.
Last August 5, 2019, Alangsab received another letter from a constituent stating that “the ordinance should be clearly explained especially to establishments, big or small, whether they are to charge consumers for the use of paper bags or they should provide paper bags for free.”
Recognizing the ambiguity of Section 5 of the ordinance, Yaranon and Alangsab decided to also amend it.
“All businesses shall provide or make available to customers free paper bags; or for a reasonable cost, reusable bags or containers made of paper or materials which are biodegradable, for the purpose of carrying out goods or other items from the point of sale, subject to provisions of this Ordinance. Nothing herein prohibits customers from using bags of any other type that they bring to the stores themselves for carrying away goods in lieu of bags provided by the store, except, plastic bags which are prohibited by this Ordinance,” the second paragraph of the proposed amendatory ordinance states.
“The existing regulation on the sale, distribution, and use of plastic carry/shopping bags and styrofoam in the City of Baguio needs to be updated to ensure that there is no need for interpretation when the words of the Ordinance are clear,” the proponents explained.
The proposed ordinance was referred to the Committee on Health and Sanitation, Ecology, and Environmental Protection.
In 2017, the city enacted the ordinance entitled “The Plastic and Styrofoam Free Baguio Ordinance.” It states that first-time offenders will be reprimanded while succeeding offenses will be meted the following penalties: a fine of P1,000.00 for the second offense, a fine of P3,000.00 and an eight-hour community service for the third offense, a fine of P5,000.00 and suspension of business permit for six months for the fourth offense, and non-renewal of business permit or closure of business for habitual offenders. **Jordan G. Habbiling
