Eco group urges litter-free inauguration for Noynoy

As preparations continue for the inauguration of President-elect Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III, an environmental group appealed to organizers and the public to make sure the June 30 event would be simple and litter-free. EcoWaste Coalition said littering threatens to turn the event aimed at heralding political change into a literally ugly scene. “Let us demonstrate our respect for [Aquino] and his commitment to ‘doing the right things’ towards a transformed nation by taking full responsibility for our discards during and after his installation. Please keep P-Noy’s inauguration simple and litter-free that we all can be proud of," EcoWaste president Roy Alvarez said in an entry on the group's blog. The group urged organizers not to use confetti, fireworks and balloons. “We also recommend that the event organizers shun confetti, fireworks and balloons at the inauguration. In cooperation with the park management, we hope they will put up adequate portable toilets and separate waste bins for biodegradable and non-biodegradable discards in the assembly area," it said. It also urged groups not to distribute leaflets and similar materials that will most likely end up as litter. On June 30, Aquino will take his oath as the nation's 15th president at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila. He will then attend a president's ball (vin d'honneur) at Malacañang, and then go to the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City for a "people's celebration." EcoWaste said that with tens of thousands of people expected to witness the historic event, littering may be a major problem. “A litter-free Luneta augurs well for the Aquino presidency and our nation’s continuing quest to build clean and toxic-free communities for our people," Alvarez said. EcoWaste vice president Romy Hidalgo added the mass recital of the "Panata sa Pagbabago" that will form part of the inaugural ceremonies should immediately translate to a collective action of not littering, picking up the trash and leaving Luneta spic-and-span after the rites. “We hope that soon after his inauguration [Aquino] will launch and carry out an effective public campaign in the next six years to combat littering, an environmental offense, that has undesirably become a national culture of sort," he added. The EcoWaste Coalition reminded the public that Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act explicitly bans littering, an offense punishable by a fine of P300 to P1,000 or 1 to 15-day community service or both. - KBK, GMANews.TV