Business sector backs Lucena City’s renewed anti-plastic push

By Engr. Jay B. Laurino Mayor Mark Alcala and PCCI-QPI officials display the signed MOU supporting stronger enforcement of Lucena City’s...

By Engr. Jay B. Laurino

Mayor Mark Alcala and PCCI-QPI officials display the signed MOU supporting stronger enforcement of Lucena City’s single-use plastic restrictions. (Lucena City PIO)

LUCENA CITY, Quezon — When PCCI-QPI President Realou Nieto signed Lucena City’s new anti-plastic agreement on Aug. 27, the commitment placed the local business community alongside City Hall in enforcing rules that have existed for more than a decade. The memorandum of understanding revives attention on City Ordinance No. 2367, series of 2009, by linking government enforcement with establishments that use and distribute disposable plastics every day.

The agreement gives the city government and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry-Quezon Province Inc. a shared role in strengthening compliance with restrictions on single-use plastics. Instead of creating another layer of regulation, the partnership focuses on reinforcing an ordinance already in force and widening participation among businesses covered by its provisions.

That responsibility becomes most visible at store counters, restaurant tables and other points of sale where plastic bags, packaging and disposable materials enter everyday use. By working through PCCI-QPI, the city gains a direct link to establishments whose daily practices determine how consistently the ordinance reaches consumers.

Mayor Mark Alcala placed business participation at the center of the renewed campaign, underscoring that City Hall cannot reduce disposable plastic use through enforcement alone. The agreement, he said, gives establishments a direct part in changing practices that contribute to plastic waste across the city.

“Hindi sapat na may ordinansa lamang tayo kung hindi ito maisasabuhay sa araw-araw ng ating mga establisimyento at mamamayan. Sa pakikipagtulungan ng PCCI-QPI, mas mapapalawak natin ang pagsunod at mababawasan ang paggamit ng single-use plastics sa Lungsod ng Lucena,” Alcala said.

Alcala also tied the partnership to the city’s broader environmental agenda, with the MOU placing responsibility on government, businesses and consumers rather than on one sector alone. His position points to sustained cooperation as the practical test of whether the ordinance produces visible changes beyond the signing ceremony.

“Ang pangangalaga sa kapaligiran ay responsibilidad nating lahat, kaya mahalaga ang aktibong pakikiisa ng negosyo at bawat mamamayan. Nais nating magkaroon ng mas malinis, mas ligtas at mas sustainable na Lucena City para sa kasalukuyan at sa susunod na henerasyon,” Alcala said.

Alcala signed the MOU with Nieto, City Administrator Anacleto Alcala Jr. and Engr. Recaredo Sarmiento IV, PCCI-QPI’s immediate past president and board director. Their signatures formalized cooperation between the city government and the chamber as both sides moved to strengthen implementation of the existing restrictions.

City Legal Officer and CENRO head Atty. Sheila de Leon and Assistant City Legal Officer Francisco Lagman witnessed the signing together with PCCI-QPI officers and members. Their participation brought the city’s legal and environmental offices into the same undertaking as the business organization supporting the renewed campaign.

The MOU calls for coordinated action to reduce the use and distribution of single-use plastics while improving compliance with Ordinance No. 2367. It also gives organized businesses a clearer role in supporting measures that previously depended largely on government enforcement and individual compliance.

Both sides also signed a pledge of commitment supporting the city’s goal of becoming safer, greener and more sustainable. The pledge broadens the responsibility beyond the signatories by stressing the role of businesses and consumers in reducing dependence on disposable plastics.