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Saturday, September 09, 2006
Mayor stakes life, honor for aerial spray debate
By Jeffrey M. Tupas
Correspondent
MAYOR Rodrigo Duterte is willing to put his own life and honor on the line to protect the people against the effects of aerial spraying of pesticides in banana plantations as he backed the demand of various groups to immediately ban the practice.
"My life and honor. I will stake my life. I am worried about the young children because everyday they imbibe a certain amount of chemicals. They (companies) cannot fool me that the chemicals are harmless," Duterte said on the television program of his friend Pastor Apollo Quiboloy Wednesday night.
Duterte issued this statement as banana plantation owners contest that the pesticides used in aerial spraying are safe, just as they threaten a massive drop in employment if the ordinance banning aerial spraying were approved.
The companies also said they might consider moving out of the city if the City Government really pushes for the banning.
But Duterte is not threatened and says the plantations' relocation will be "good riddance".
He then reiterated his earlier challenge for the companies to present scientific data to counter the claim of the people that aerial spraying is harmful.
"Instead of threatening the city that they're going to relocate to somewhere else, why don't you just present scientific and empirical data to show that it is not deleterious? If it is safe, then why are there many complaints coming from the communities in the peripherals of the plantations... the damage in coconuts, skin rashes," Duterte said.
"I am as interested as anybody else to protect the economic activity of the city because it gives employment to the people, we have no quarrel about that. But I think foremost of my responsibility is to protect the health of the people and it comes first," Duterte added.
Duterte said banana plantation should convince him 100 percent that aerial spraying and the chemicals that they are using are 100 percent safe.
"You have to remedy the situation. I am ready to listen. If all you can do is threaten, then go out of Davao City," he said.
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (September 9, 2006 issue)
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