DAVAO CITY (PNA) – At least seven of the nine presidential bets who responded to the survey favor an outright or eventual ban on single-use plastic bags and other plastic-based disposable containers, which have been largely blamed for clogging waterways, and causing floods and ocean pollution.

The EcoWaste Coalition and Greenpeace disclosed the good news in the second installment of the 2010 Green Electoral Initiative (GEI) survey results which focused on the issue of ecological solid waste management.

The 2010 GEI was organized to ascertain the environmental platforms and programs of those running for the presidency.

The seven candidates were Senators Noynoy Aquino, Dick Gordon, Jamby Madrigal, Manny Villar, Councilor JC de los Reyes, environmentalist Nicky Perlas, and evangelist Eddie Villanueva.

Former President Joseph Estrada and former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro did not participate in the GEI, thereby earning zero points in the ranking process.

In supporting a ban on plastic bags, the presidential aspirants cited the obvious issue of wastefulness as well as the ecological harm resulting from the unchecked disposal of plastic trash in dumpsites, storm drains, and water bodies.

Some of the candidates proposed specific measures to curb plastic bag consumption in the country – which, according to Madrigal, amounts to 16 million worth of plastic bags daily – including the imposition of taxes and disincentives as proposed both by Gordon and Perlas, and the implementation of vigorous efforts to maximize plastic waste recovery, reuse and recycling as espoused by Aquino and Villar.

“The expressed intent of the seven presidential bets to act against plastic pollution should send a strong signal to the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) about the urgent need to impose a policy that will effectively phase out and ultimately ban single-use plastic bags. The Commission has been remiss in performing this mandate, opting to kowtow instead to the vested interests of plastic manufacturers,” said Roy Alvarez, president of EcoWaste Coalition.