Wednesday, November 29, 2006 City exec defends mayor's change of heart By Ben O. Tesiorna
CITY Administrator Wendel Avisado said the Mamamayan Ayaw sa Aerial Spraying (Maas) is entitled to its own opinion on the mayor's change of heart on the banning of aerial spraying in Davao City.
Maas said Mayor Rodrigo Duterte's latest decision favored the influential and moneyed banana corporations over the environment and the health of the people.
However, Avisado said the group's claim is "rather inaccurate."
"Duterte is mayor of everyone and all sectors. He must balance his actions/decisions with the actual situation on the ground. Up to now there is no clear showing yet by facts and figures sufficient reasons to conclude that aerial spraying has caused or wreaked havoc on the health and lives of the people living near the banana plantations," Avisado said.
He added, "But he (Duterte) has not yet closed the door to resort to banning aerial spraying if there are enough factual and legal basis. But the story does end there. He has endorsed the matter to the City Council since they are the policy makers. Whatever ordinance they pass the mayor will implement as long as they are valid and constitutional."
Councilor Angela Librado-Trinidad meanwhile urged the City Government to conduct further study and not wait for things to get out of hand.
Maas believes that Duterte's decision came following strong pressures and misinformation employed by banana companies regarding aerial spraying.
The group also believes that the verification made by the City Planning and Development Office headed by Engineer Mario Louie Jacinto was "insufficient to uncover the hundreds of cases of people afflicted with diseases because of their exposure to aerial spraying."
Maas submitted less than 200 cases of people with diseases -- from skin rashes to cancer. But Maas believes that the group of Jacinto insufficiently traced and validated them.
Maas claimed that they had long been requesting for an audience with the mayor to discuss with him the aerial spraying issue, but until now has not been granted. Duterte met with the key players of banana plantations.
In a telephone interview Tuesday afternoon, Duterte did not give much reaction to the Maas statement.
"They (Maas) are right," was Duterte's statement. "Tell them they are right so that this endless debate will be over."
