By Glen Andrea Omandam
Hibalag booths faced stricter environmental checks this year after the Silliman University Student Government (SUSG) Environment Committee implemented wider plastic use restrictions and heightened inspections.
SUSG Environment Committee Chairperson Kylie Carlisle Tagulo said they are coordinating with the Committee on Student Organizations (ComSO) to ensure booths comply with approved construction and environmental requirements.
The updated Hibalag environmental guidelines now restrict PET, HDPE, LDPE, PP, and PS plastics, while imposing stricter waste segregation and sustainable packaging.
“We want to be more strict compared to last year’s circumstances, while understanding that lasting compliance can only really be achieved through proper discipline, awareness, and cooperation,” she said.
Tagulo said the environmental guidelines have included a penalization section with levels of warnings and corresponding sanctions.
“There are very minor changes for this (guidelines) but other than that it remained consistent. One of which is our removal from the Policies on Prohibited Plastics was the specification of polyvinyl chloride (PVC),” she said.
PVC is commonly used in booth construction and for electrical cables that are necessary for maintenance work on campus by the Facilities Management and Administrative Services (FMAS) and the Buildings and Grounds Department.
Moreover, the SUSG envirocomm chairperson said the committee will open the Waste Watch Patrol to the student body for volunteers to promote sustainability and environmental guidelines awareness.
Organizations and establishments are required to practice the ‘three trash bin rule’.
“This is basically to ensure that the access of trash bins are convenient, not only for their patrons, but to include the personnel themselves,” Tagulo said.
She also said the committee now prohibits spray paint for booth boundaries, replacing ComSO’s previous use of bamboo sticks and polypropylene twine as alternatives.
Meanwhile, 2025 Best Booth Design-winning organization Rhea Regalado from the United Architects of the Philippines Student Auxiliary – SU Chapter said the organization planned its waste segregation and material use early.
“It’s part of the design process. Sustainability is a necessity that drives that progression,” Regalado said. “It’s integrated in our mindsets towards smarter and responsible planning.”
Cuernos de Negros Mountaineers Club Inc. Vice-President Luke Evangelio also welcomed the clearer guidelines but called for stricter monitoring of concessionaires.
“My only concern would be the concessionaires because they’re the ones generating the majority of waste,” he said.
Evangelio also said concessionaires have repeatedly failed to comply with the environmental guidelines and only received minimal repercussions in previous Hibalag celebrations.
The SUSG Environment Committee strengthened monitoring and enforcement after organizations previously “failed to consistently follow the environmental guidelines.”
