February 25, 2021 HERE is a question we are confronted with almost every day: “Damo Usik?” Or “Wala Usik?” Usik is a Hiligaynon word for “waste.” Damo means many, while wala means none. Is it possible to dream of a world, a life, or a household without waste despite human consumption?
Last week, I was privileged to have been invited to join one of several series of multi-stakeholder roundtables, focused on micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and agencies and organizations supporting initiatives for sustainability and sustainable development.
The activity was ably initiated by the Philippine Reef and Rainforest Conservation Foundation, Inc. (PRRCFI), the non-government organization (NG) behind Danjugan Island, Sea Waste Education to Eradicate Plastic (Sweep) and Wala Usik Tiangge+Kapehan. Their aim is to encourage and promote a circular economy in the city and the province as part of their continuing initiatives to reduce waste that goes into t