Wednesday, November 29, 2006 Ledesma: Duterte airs stand on aerial spray By Jun Ledesma Sunbursts
DAVAO City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has made a stand on the controversial issue of aerial spray. In summary, he said that proofs presented by environmentalist militants that aerial spray of chemicals is hazardous are too inadequate to ban the practice of aerial application of farm inputs.
Remember that the mayor took over the cudgels of undertaking a thorough probe from the City Council after the later was mired in verbal tussle instead of ascertaining the veracity of the claims of environment watchers. The mayor was initially overwhelmed by alarming claims of environment watchdogs who want aerial spray stopped as this has caused ailments and even deaths to residents adjacent to the plantations.
As an immediate reaction, the mayor appeared supportive of the ban except that statistics shown by the group cannot be verified. In one instance a victim cited by them to have been sick due to chemical spray surfaced later and denounced the group for making false statement.
Health authorities confirmed the statement and went further by putting on record that they have nothing on their medical record that points out to chemical spray as cause of death or ailment.
But the mayor is not taking No for an answer so to speak. He created a special probe headed by City Planning and Development Officer Luis Jacinto who is not lacking in probity and credentials to be able to come up with credible findings of the controversial issue.
Jacinto knows the subject but even then it took him time to complete his investigation. I suppose that before Mayor Duterte issued his statement this week he must have read and evaluated the Jacinto report. If I understood the reports of the local dailies, the mayor has ruled that aerial application of chemicals is an accepted and safe agricultural practice.
And, the fact that there were no record of deaths or ailments attributed to chemical spray, then there is no justifiable reason to ban aerial spray on the basis of militant slogan.
Nevertheless, I personally go by the Mayor's word of caution and warning to corporate plantation owners that henceforth they should establish buffer zones to mitigate the drift of aerial spray. Failure to set up this shield between farms and population areas is reason enough to cancel the business permits of the firms.
I think that Mayor Duterte has arrived at a wise judgment and we expect the council, albeit they were still scheduled to debate on this last Tuesday, to adopt his position.
It might take about four to five years before buffer zones can be adequately established. I have cited in previous columns for example that a good material for buffers is bamboo. There are several reasons why. Bamboos, like the Laac variety, can be used as propping materials for bananas. These can mean extra earnings for landowners who can sell the matured bamboo poles to banana growers and exporters. Other varieties can be used for furniture and building materials. Bamboos are excellent anti-erosion plants. We have seen these in the slopes of Lake Sebu and in some parts of Bukidnon. Bamboo grows fast and therefore buffer zones can be realized as quickly too.
While this decision is reason to celebrate, corporate farms should be put to task. As you see, while environmentalists have been aiming their guns at corporate farms, they are silent over the fact that vegetable, rice and corn farmers and fruit tree growers ought to be more closely monitored. I grew up in a farm and I knew this subject from where I stand. Chemicals used by farmers are mostly classified as extremely toxic compared to what is sprayed on banana corporate farms.
Yet, very little attention, if none at all, is accorded by our militant group on this sector. If they are mindful of the health of the community, then they ought to bring this to the fore. Obviously we cannot expect that from the environment watchers.
The corporate farms, some of them run by multi-nationals, and chemical companies ought to undertake a sustained effort in educating or farmers with the correct agricultural practices and management and disposal of chemicals. Presently, there is no perceptible effort contributed by these companies to educate our farmers. Since corporate farms engaged in banana exports and supply of agricultural inputs are raking in billions from our bananas, they should address their conscience and help farmers in correct agricultural practices including right application and handling of chemicals.
BTW, Mayor Duterte has finally acted on the complaints of registrants in the LTO against what look like fly-by-night insurance firms that disappear whenever accident and claims against them are instituted by their clients. This malfeasance is as old as LTO but this has been going on unabated. Now Mayor Duterte has stepped in. Hindi ba nakakahiya ito sa LTO?
