Friday, December 19, 2008 MAAS hopeful Borja will play Santa By Cong B. Corrales
FIVE days before Christmas eve, activists picketing at the Court of Appeals (CA) remain hopeful that Executive Justice Romulo Borja will figuratively don a Santa suit and gift them with, literally, their foremost Christmas wish.
Justice Borja had given his word to members of Mamamayan Ayaw sa Aerial Spraying (MAAS) that the decision on the constitutionality of the Davao City ordinance banning aerial spraying of chemicals in plantations will be out before Christmas.
It's now barely a week before Christmas but still no decision has been handed out. Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro tried to contact Justice Borja but the latter did not return call calls nor reply to text messages.
A holy mass, celebrated by Fr. Roger Gabac, head of the ecology desk of the Archidiocese of Cagayan de Oro's Social Action Center, was held in front of the CA Wednesday morning. The foremost prayer was for CA Justices to expedite the case's resolution.
The City Council passed Resolution 9457-2008, which "expressed the city's unequivocal support to the call for the immediate resolution of the case on the anti-aerial spraying ordinance of Davao City, during last Monday's regular session.
"The implementation of the ordinance has been put on hold by the Court of Appeals, affected residents of Davao City are continually exposed to harm due to aerial spraying," the resolution, obtained by Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro, read.
"This August body empathizes with the affected residents of Davao City, who have camped in Cagayan de Oro and are valiantly defending their basic rights to life, health and a healthy environment," the resolution added.
It further resolved to forward copies of the said resolution to CA-Mindanao and the Davao City Council. The resolution was unanimously carried by the City Council.
The Provincial Board, led by Vice Governor Noris Babiera, also passed a resolution supporting the ordinance passed by the City Council of Davao that banned aerial spraying. The same resolution, authored by Babiera, also supported the ordinance of Bukidnon.
Still, the aerial spraying protesters remain hopeful that Justice Borja will stick to his promise.
"Pila na man lang gyud ka adlaw ang nahibilin pero hasta karon, bisan pa man sa kalisod sa among nasinati diri, inubanan sa among kamingaw sa among mga minahal sa kinabuhi nga atoa sa Davao. Naga-ampo lamang gihapon kami nga wala pa nalimtan ni Judge Borja ang iyang gisaad kanamo," MAAS member Rosita Bacalso said.
