Barangay celebrates fiesta without wasteful plastic buntings

MANILA, Philippines - In a good departure from the not so eco-friendly tradition of our community festivals, Barangay Tambo in Parañaque City took the decision to celebrate their fiesta without the usual plastic banderitas. Their resolute action to go against the tide of decorating the sky with plastic buntings did not go unnoticed as a major environmental coalition lauded the clearly proactive effort of the Barangay Council to minimize fiesta garbage. “We commend Barangay Captain Wilfrido de la Cruz and the entire Barangay Council for the important action they made to spare the environment of unnecessary fiesta buntings that habitually end up as trash, and adding to Metro Manila’s garbage woes," said Manny Calonzo, President, EcoWaste Coalition. “Barangay Tambo is right in promoting the use of creative fiesta “arko" made of biodegradable materials in lieu of modern buntings made from thin plastic bags, packaging leftovers and product ads. We hope that other communities will follow the positive example of Barangay Tambo for the good of the people and the environment," Calonzo added. On the eve of the community fiesta in honor of St. Joseph the Worker, EcoWaste Coalition volunteers visited Barangay Tambo and were amazed with the simplicity of the fiesta decorations. At the entrance of the Parish of St. Joseph along Quirino Avenue, churchgoers would see two columns of cubes fashioned out of used boxes and wrapped in old newspapers. One pile of cubes contains letter cutouts of “San Jose," while the other pile is adorned with cutouts of common carpentry tools and gadgets. The colorful fiesta “arko" in streets and alleys were created mainly from a variety of biodegradable materials such as bamboo “patpat" and “bilao," “walis tambo" and banana tree as well as other used materials. In February this year, the EcoWaste Coalition pleaded to parish pastoral councils and local government units to consider imposing a complete ban on disposable plastic buntings, which have become an environmental nuisance, especially with the growing popularity of single-use plastic bags as buntings. The EcoWaste Coalition recommends the use of eco-friendly alternatives to plastic buntings that can be washed, stored and reused, including banderitas from fabric scraps. Other ecological substitutes are the colorful cloth banners used to adorn the patio of the Manila Cathedral and the Catholic Churches in Pandacan and Malate and, of course, the biodegradable “arko" in Barangay Tambo. The EcoWaste Coalition cautioned the public from dumping or burning plastic buntings after the fiesta as this can seriously impact public health and the environment. The dumping of plastic buntings and other discards in storm drains and other water bodies can block the water paths and cause flooding, while burning them can release harmful pollutants such as dioxin, the most toxic substance known to science, which can cause a range of serious health problems, including cancer. “Banning plastic buntings is also good for the climate as this will reduce the demand for imported oil as well as cut the greenhouse gas emissions from the production, consumption and disposal of these unnecessary decors," the EcoWaste Coalition said. - GMANews.TV