CEBU CITY, Philippines — Police took several Greenpeace Southeast Asia activists into custody on Thursday after they staged a peaceful protest during the opening day of the 48th ASEAN Summit, calling on regional leaders to take stronger action on plastic pollution and fossil fuel dependence.
The demonstration took place in Cebu City, where heads of state and government officials from across Southeast Asia gathered for the annual summit. Activists urged leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to confront what they described as a worsening environmental and public health crisis driven by plastic waste and continued reliance on fossil fuels.
The group called for urgent policy shifts, including reductions in plastic production, the phaseout of single-use plastics, stronger waste prevention systems, and stricter corporate accountability for pollution. They also pressed for a transition away from fossil fuels, which they said continue to drive climate-related damage across the region.
Instead of restricting pollution at its source, Greenpeace said governments have allowed corporations to continue expanding plastic production while communities shoulder the consequences, including flooding of waste systems, toxic fires in landfill sites, and worsening air and water pollution.
“Communities across Southeast Asia are already being harmed by landfill collapses, toxic fires, polluted air, and plastic pollution they did not create,” the group said in a statement.
Activists stressed that peaceful protest should not be treated as a security threat, arguing that the greater danger lies in systems that enable unchecked production of single-use plastics.
Shortly after the demonstration, police detained the activists and brought them to Lapu-Lapu Police Station 2. As of this report, Greenpeace Southeast Asia said the individuals remain in custody and have not been allowed to leave.
The organization has called for their immediate release and urged ASEAN leaders to address what it described as a growing environmental emergency in the region.
Environmental groups have long warned that Southeast Asia is one of the world’s major contributors to ocean plastic leakage, driven by rapid urbanization, inadequate waste management infrastructure, and high consumption of disposable plastic products. Several ASEAN member states have recently announced national plans to reduce plastic waste, but critics say progress remains uneven and heavily reliant on voluntary corporate commitments.
The 48th ASEAN Summit continues in Cebu, with leaders expected to discuss regional cooperation on climate change, sustainable development, and environmental protection alongside broader economic and security issues.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
