26/07/2025
๐ฌ๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ปโ๐ ๐ฐ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ณ๐น๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฎ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฝ. ๐ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐ปโ๐ ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ฝ ๐ถ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ฝ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ป.
Every year, we brace ourselves for the rains. But no matter how much we prepare, the losses still pile upโhomes damaged, livelihoods washed away, lives lost. The recent flooding is just the latest reminder of how communities are made vulnerable, especially communities who live near rivers and low-lying areas. And year after year, the plastic waste clogging our drainage systems adds to the devastation.
Itโs easy to blame individual behavior. But the truth is, itโs almost impossible to avoid plastic today. From food to toiletries, almost everything sold to us is wrapped in single-use plastic. These are products designed to be used once, but remain in the environment for hundreds of years.
Why is that? Because corporations have made it the norm. Single-use plastic is cheap to produce and even cheaper to pass on to consumers. It keeps costs low and profits high. But what isnโt reflected on their balance sheets is who shoulders the burden when all that plastic turns into waste: taxpayers, local governments, and everyday people. Communities pay to clean it up. And now, new research shows theyโre also paying the price with their well-being.
Plastic is profitable precisely because companies donโt clean up after themselves. Theyโve built a system where they can keep selling more and more without being held accountable for the damage. Itโs a system that takes advantage of the socioeconomic conditions of countries like the Philippines, where regulation is weak and people are left with few alternatives. If nothing changes, plastic production is expected to triple by 2050.
This is why the upcoming Global Plastics Treaty negotiations matter. Itโs a once-in-a-generation chance to finally tackle plastic at the sourceโby cutting production, not just managing waste after the fact. Itโs an opportunity for United Nations member states, including the Philippines, to stand up against corporate interests and push for real, lasting solutions. But that will only happen if our government fights for it.
As the lead of the Philippine delegation for the Plastics Treaty negotiations, we urge the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to show leadership. Plastic production remains unchecked because governments have allowed it. The floods, the pollution, the health risksโthese are not isolated issues. They are symptoms of a system built to protect profit, not people.
Itโs time to turn off the tap.
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Support a strong by signing this petition >> act.gp/plasticstreatynow
