Participants in the dialogue representing the Philippine national and local government agencies and the Japanese government pose for a photo shoot.
The Government of the Philippines through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Government of Japan through the Ministry of the Environment Japan (MOEJ) reaffirmed their commitment to furthering environmental partnership to address waste management, plastic pollution, and climate change, and explore financial mechanisms such as carbon credits, green bonds and financial bonds.
Held in Pasig City, the 7th Environmental Dialogue on Waste Management between the Philippines and Japan served as an avenue to tackle solid waste management issues and identify possible areas of cooperation for further collaboration and support by both countries.
In his opening remarks, Undersecretary Jonas R. Leones of DENR emphasized that solid waste management remains to be a major challenge in the Philippines, particularly in urban areas.
He said that improper waste disposal, inefficient waste collection, and lack of disposal facilities are among the major concerns in the country, pointing out that Metro Manila alone generates over 10,000 tons of waste every day, which is expected to double by 2030.
The Philippines welcomes a reinvigorated partnership with Japan in developing policies to augment or support the implementation of RA 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, the National Plan of Action for the Prevention, Reduction, and Management of Marine Litter, and the newly enacted RA 11989 or the Extended Producers Responsibility Act of 2022.
Vice Minister Ono of the MOEJ said that exposure to similar projects in other countries and similar efforts and initiatives implemented in Japan could greatly help in strengthening the partnership and in designing solutions to solid waste management issues.
MOEJ noted that waste-to-energy (WTE) technologies address final disposal needs, but improvement in the upstream activities in waste management such as waste reduction, reuse, and recycling should still be implemented. (EMB/ Nikole Andrei Louise B. Mallare, FASPS/ Marilou Calado)
