Ban on aerial spray still not dead (11:15 a.m.)
By Ben O. Tesiorna
EFFORTS to ban aerial spraying are not yet dead even with the Court of Appeals decision declaring the Davao City ordinance on aerial spray ban as unconstitutional.
In a move to protect the people’s health, Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez (2nd District, Cagayan de Oro) proposed House Bill No. 5573 which seeks to ban, among others, the use of Dithane, the fungicide that the banana industry utilizes, which has been reported to have harmful effects on communities near the plantations.
The increasing incidence of cancer and other serious diseases resulting from hazardous aerial pesticide sprays has prompted Rodriguez to file the bill calling for its total ban in the country.
Rodriguez said although the Philippine Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority has classified Dithane in the least hazardous category, studies done by the US Environmental Protection Agency reveal it contains cancer-causing elements.
Also, a survey conducted by the Kalusugan Alang-Alang sa Bayan, Inc. (KAABAY) in Sirib, Davao del Sur showed prolonged exposure to the fungicide causes cancer, birth defects, cerebral palsy and asthma.
The health group also documented nine patients who had died of cancer in a plantation site in Davao City.
Fever, eye irritation, skin rashes, nausea and vomiting are among the most common complaints of farmers constantly exposed to aerial fumigation.
According to Estrella Laquinita, regional officer of the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority, the Philippines has no specific law on aerial spraying although government regulations require pilots to observe buffer zones of 20 to 30 meters away from plantations.
However, plantation owners have failed to abide by the buffer zone allocated to inhabited areas and water resources as specified in the environmental compliance certificates issued to their companies.
Davao City passed on February 2007 an ordinance banning the spraying of pesticides. When the plantation owners questioned the constitutionality of the ban, the lower court and the Office of the Solicitor General upheld the ban.
But the Court of Appeals reversed the decision and issued an injunction to stop the ban.
Rodriguez said a total ban is needed for the State to uphold the people’s right to a healthy and toxic-free environment. (with PR)
we’ve been experiencing this problem of aerial spraying here in davao del sur will it be stop? or getting worse? i myself was diagnose of breast CA 2 yrs ago may be because our farm is next to lapanday banana plantation and now the company is expanding to barangay crossing hagonoy which my other farm is located. we have so much fear of the danger and adverse effect of hazardous chemicals to health and the environment. town officials won’t listen to the residents of hagonoy and lapanday representatives would just reply aerial spraying is just a political issue and that nothing can be done to stop them pera-pera lang ‘yan they are planning to envade the whole area of barangay crossing hagonoy where will we go? these coconutland we inherited from our great grand parents now being envade from us by banana comp. because no one would want to live and make a living in a chemically infested area,clean air act is even being ignored the future of our coconut industry is at stake sooner or later some of our pilipino culture will just be a history no more philippine delicacy cause wether we like it or not we will no longer find coconut trees standing they will be converted to banana plantations, gov’t official will just reason out, it’s income generating and for purpose of employment yes, may be BANANAS instead of LIFE,and MONEY instead of HEALTH hope gov’t and Lapanday officials would realize that they are destroying God’s creation please give life a chance help us live in a clean and healthy environment i hope and pray that someone and something could be done not only stop aerial spraying but also stop Lapanday Food Corp. from their massive expansion. LET US ALL DO OUR SHARE IN PRESERVING OUR ONLY PLANET-EARTH