Winning the elections

Now that the Philippine national elections is less than a month away, campaign jingles are heard from every street corner. After hearing most for several straight days, you start wishing that the elections will be over soon.

But not soon enough. Not until you have voted for candidates who support your cause or causes.

Health Care Without Harm-Asia always pushes for a greener and healthier health care system. So we need leaders who can look us straight in the eye and passionately declare, yes I am for green and healthy health care.

There are 10 criteria, following the 10 goals of the Global Green and Healthy Hospitals .

1. Priority: environmental health. There’s no more denying that environment and health are two sides of one coin. You cannot protect and save the environment without looking at the health care sector, same way you cannot go on focusing on the health of the people without looking at the health of the environment. We need leaders who see and acknowledge this connection. We want them to work on these issues.

2. Support for substitution of hazardous chemicals. Sadly, several chemicals used in the health care are not safe for our health. But the good news is, there are alternatives. We’d go for leaders who can see this happen during his term.

3. Anti-incinerator. Anti-burn. Yes, we do not like to burn our wastes, be it health care or regular household wastes. We want them to uphold the law in banning incineration of wastes.

4. Energy-efficient. We want those who support energy efficiency and renewable energy generation. But it should be energy efficiency in its truest sense. Not the fancy names that some would use to appear green and clean.

5. With the summer heat, we’d vote for candidates who see the wisdom behind water conservation, recycling and treatment.

6. We’d like those who support transport strategies that reduce climate footprint.

7. And those that buy local and organic food.

8. We’d also like someone who will pledge to policies on safe management and disposal of pharmaceuticals.

9. With the budget allocated to elected officials, we’d go for those who would support green and healthy building design and construction.

10. And those who’d push for purchasing safe and more sustainable products and materials.

These are just the first ten. There are plenty more. We’re not asking too much. The reality is, if we don’t keep our standards high enough, we’d have to put up with the same old leaders that we had for a long time.

So we say, set the examples. Go Green and Healthy Honorables! May you be truly green and healthy!

Vote wisely.

Sonia G. Astudillo, HCWH-Asia Communications & Press Campaigner