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| Ilocos Norte Vice Governor Cecilia Araneta–Marcos |
Laoag
City—Hopeful to continue the initiatives of
her late husband, former Sangguniang Panlalawigan member Mariano “Nonong” V. Marcos
II, new Ilocos Norte Vice Governor Cecilia Araneta–Marcos sees the importance of
continuing the advocacy of preserving and protecting the environment through
the anti-plastic ordinance.
The late Mr. Marcos served as
chairperson of the Committee on Environment from 2016-2019. He sponsored
Provincial Ordinance No. 056-2007, also known as the Enactment of Ilocos Norte
Environmental Code of 2007 which aims to provide framework of norms, standards,
and requirements in the restoration and sustainability of nature in the
province.
“I am very passionate about
the ordinance since my husband is the one who sponsored Ilocos Norte’s environment
code and right now we talk about the issue about single-use plastic and how to
penalize violators,” Mrs. Marcos said.
According to her, the
provincial board is currently “researching” ways to transform the single-use
plastics into useful tools before the ordinance’s full implementation.
Moreover, she commended the
“Basura Exchange School Tiangge” Program of Burgos Central Elementary School,
an initiative encouraging students to collect garbage such as chip packets,
plastic cups and bottles, and Styrofoam packages in exchange of school supplies
or grocery items. Collected plastic wastes are molded to make eco-bricks.
“I heard about the program
and it is parallel to my advocacy— for the local government units to
incentivize individuals who collect garbage. If there is no incentive, they
will not be motivated to do anything about the plastic [wastes],” she
expressed.
As stewards of the
environment, Mrs. Marcos urges the whole Ilocano community to support the
efforts of the Provincial Government and work hand in hand in combating the
environmental problems, specifically the mismanagement of single-use plastics. (Blessing
Angel V. Agliam)
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