green electoral initiative 2013
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Green Survey for 2013 Philippine Senatorial CandidatesTRANSCRIPT
Green Electoral Initiative Green Electoral Initiative Green Electoral Initiative Green Electoral Initiative (GEI) (GEI) (GEI) (GEI) 2013201320132013
BERDE KA BA?
QUESTIONNAIRE FOR SENATORIAL CANDIDATES
TEN-POINT LEGISLATIVE AGENDA
A. CHEMICAL POLLUTION AND CONSUMER SAFETY
1. Toxic substances in food, children’s toys, garments, cosmetics and other everyday consumer
products is putting more and more Filipinos at risk from disease. What specific legislation
would you author that would result in the elimination of toxics in these products and
product systems and institutionalize Zero Discharge and Clean Production?
2. A Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) is a system that requires industries to
publicly disclose individual chemicals that are used in their facilities, emissions and transfer.
The experience in other countries with such a system in place demonstrates that pollution
disclosure facilitates pollution reduction. How would you encourage industries to comply
with a PRTR system?
B. SOLID WASTE
3. Solid waste continues to be one of the biggest environmental issues in the Philippines
despite the passage of RA 9003 (The Ecological Solid Waste Management Law) in 2001
because of the lack of budget for implementation and conflicting provisions with other laws
(e.g. Waste-to-energy provisions in the Renewable Energy law). What legislative or oversight
remedies would you introduce to ensure that RA 9003 is implemented fully?
4. More than 30 local government units have started banning or regulating plastic bags as
secondary packaging in their own cities and municipalities. Would you legislate a national
ban on plastic bags? What innovative provisions would you include to curb plastic bag
pollution?
5. The Basel Convention, ratified by the Philippine senate in 1993, was aimed at stopping toxic
waste imports from developed countries. However, this did not stop toxic dumping. The
Convention had a loophole which allowed toxic wastes to enter the country as second hand
or recyclable products. The Basel Ban Amendment was intended to close that loophole.
What steps would you take to speed up the ratification of the Basel Ban Amendment?
Please give a timeline.
C. SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS
6. How would you ensure that government resources support ecological farming instead of
unsustainable agricultural practices such as chemical farming and use of genetically
modified crops?
a. Would you legislate the establishment of national targets that would progressively
reduce the use of chemicals in agriculture?
b. Would you agree to an outright ban on field trials of GMOs?
c. Would you support mandatory labelling of GE ingredients in food?
D. CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION
7. The People's Survival Fund or Republic Act 10174 is a law that amended the Climate Change
Act of 2009 by establishing the country's first legislated climate change funding mechanism.
The fund is dedicated to supporting climate change adaptation and resilience-building
programs of local governments and communities. Enacted in August 2012, the law stipulates
the allocation and maintenance of no less than P1 billion for the Fund
annually, appropriated through the General Appropriations Act. If you win a seat in the
Senate, will you ensure funding for the People's Survival Fund? How do you intend to
accomplish this?
E. ENERGY
8. What measures will you take to ensure a clean and sustainable supply of energy for the
country?
a. Will you agree to phase-out dirty energy such as coal, and waste-to-energy
combustion technology that should in fact be banned pursuant to Sec.20 of The
Clean Air Act?
b. Are you in favour of increasing the uptake of renewable energy by 50% within
the decade?
c. Are you for or against the establishment of big hydro-electric dams and projects
in the country? Why?
d. Are you for or against the re-commissioning of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant?
Why?
F. OCEANS
9. The Fisheries Code of the Philippines (RA 8550) is touted as comprehensive and addresses
many issues related to fisheries including the health of our vast marine resources. However
we continue to see overfishing, illegal fishing as well as destruction and degradation of our
marine ecosystems. Would you commit to initiating a legislative review of RA 8550? What
specific provisions will you focus on and why?
G. MINING
10. Will you support the passage of a new minerals management law that will ensure equitable
sharing of benefits and promote the rights and welfare of the government, the indigenous
peoples and the communities?
YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL TRACK RECORD
A. Please briefly describe your earlier and ongoing initiatives or projects in the environmental field,
including sponsorship and voting history in Congress (if applicable) with respect to
environmental legislation, environmental programs implemented, etc. Please include your
political party’s platform on the Environment. (If applicable).
B. Have you or any of your immediate family members been involved in or benefitted from any
environmentally destructive projects (e.g. logging, mining, polluting projects, etc.) in the past?
Do you have any involvement with such projects NOW, and if so what is the nature of your
involvement (e.g. lawyer, shareholder, investor, etc.)?
Please share with us other relevant information which you think is relevant to the purpose of this
questionnaire.