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Stand up for a
healthy and safe environment, too
The EcoWaste Coalition is one
with our people’s quest for truth and justice, for ethical
leadership and governance, and for the ecological conversion and
development that our country deeply needs.
We laud the leaders and
participants of the broad civil society for their fearless
commitment to serve the cause of democracy as our people seek
nothing less than the honest and impartial resolution of corruption
cases
involving the powers that be.
As Filipinos from all walks of
life exercise their inherent rights as citizens, including their
rights to political participation, free speech and peaceful
assembly, we call on the protesting members of our society not to
abdicate their task to care of the environment, even as they hold
marches and demonstrations to ferret out the truth and bring justice
to fruition.
The conduct of peaceful and
nonviolent assemblies to demand for a clean and accountable
government is a just and irreproachable action. However, it must be
kept in mind that the fight for clean governance ideally goes hand
in hand with the fight for a clean environment and the
responsibility to spare the environment from unclean practices such
as unchecked littering, dumping and the burning of discards.
Since street activism for
democracy and change is part and parcel of our constant yearning for
a healthy, safe and pollution-free environment, we urge all
concerned citizens and groups to stand up for clean and litter-free
protests.
Let not our rallies and
demonstrations for a clean and accountable government yield
preventable trash that, more often than not, will wind up being
illegally burned or thrown into the canals, rivers and dumps,
damaging the community health and environment.
We call on all movement leaders
and organizers to adopt and enforce a litter-free policy in all
gatherings, and declare any rally site as litter-free zone.
Together, let us work for truth,
justice and change, and for a healthy and safe environment, too.
Rei Panaligan
Coordinator
EcoWaste Coalition,
Quezon City
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